A former Arsenal star struggled to believe the transfer promise of his manager
Emmanuel Eboue has disclosed he had doubts about Arsene Wenger‘s pledge to bring him to Arsenal. The former Ivory Coast defender’s European journey began with Belgian outfit Beveren in 2002.
Following a strong debut campaign at the club, just 18 months on Eboue caught the eye of Wenger, who he claims informed him of his intention to secure his signature for the Gunners.
Looking to strengthen a squad that had just achieved Invincibles status, Eboue eventually made the move half a year later, though he confessed he initially questioned whether to believe his prospective boss.
In conversation with Ladbrokes at the Ladisfaction launch, the 42-year-old recalled how Wenger had instructed him to stay put in Belgium for six months before assuring him Arsenal would complete the deal in the January window.
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Eboue said: “When I was playing in Africa, before I moved to Europe, it was always my dream to play for a big club in England. It wasn’t necessarily Arsenal, but I always wanted to play in the Premier League.
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“I wanted to be a part of it all and so eventually I left Africa and signed for Beveren in Belgium. After my last game of the season in 2004, I saw Arsene Wenger and he told me he wanted to sign me.
“I was 19 at the time and he asked if I wanted to come to Arsenal. Of course I did; it was my dream! To be honest, I couldn’t believe that Arsene was even talking to me. He then told me to stay in Belgium for six more months, and then he’d make sure the club signed me.
“I was a little sceptical at first, but he promised me that’s what was going to happen. He just wanted me to focus and do my job for six more months, which is what I did. And then in the January, Arsenal signed me.
“I was so young at the time, when I look back – to come and play for that club, a club of that size, having played in Africa just a couple of years beforehand… it was all crazy for me. I moved to London with my family, because I didn’t know anything about anything, to be honest!”
Eboue revealed the support he received from former teammate and international colleague Kolo Toure, who assisted his transition to English football. He continued: “I couldn’t speak English when I first moved to London – I could only really speak French, which wasn’t a bad thing playing for Arsenal at that time, of course.
“But I had Kolo Toure next to me, who helped me so much in those early months… I was able to learn English quickly with him.” Eboue’s stint in north London spanned six-and-a-half years, during which he racked up 214 appearances and found the net 10 times.
He never managed to claim any silverware whilst at Arsenal, coming agonisingly close to trophy success in 2006 when they met Barcelona in the Champions League final.
Eboue featured for the full 90 minutes as the Spanish side secured a 2-1 victory, with late strikes from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti overturning Sol Campbell’s first-half opener.
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