10 things you didn't know about Manchester United's newest star

James Wilson has burst onto the Manchester United scene in quite some fashion. Two goals and a man of the match display capped a dream debut for the 18 year old.

When Ryan Giggs selected the England Under-19 international to make his first senior bow for the Red Devils against Hull City it raised more than one or two eyebrows. Now people are instead questioning who James Wilson is and why people did not recognise his prestigious talent sooner.

Sportsmail takes a look at some of the things you may not necessarily know about James Wilson.

1. Only last month he went back to his old school Biddulph High to play in a staff and students match in a charity match, to raise money for Sports Relief, against the local police. The match was refereed by Premier League referee Phil Dowd.

2. He has stolen the show before when the occasion was not about him. Wilson scored a hat-trick against Wolves this March but the Wolves fans had flocked to the Molineux to see the return of Jamie O’Hara in his first game back since returning from Los Angeles with a season high crowd of 572 fans.

3. After scoring the winner Charlton at Old Trafford in an FA Youth Cup quarter-final in 2012, which Wilson struck seven minutes into injury time, he scolded himself in the shower, whilst his teammates refused to use the showers due to the boiling hot water. Wilson insisted that he didn’t care because he was full of adrenaline.

4. James Wilson is already well prepared for next season’s pre-season tour to America should he be selected to travel with the first team squad. He played for Manchester United's Under-18 side there in a tournament known as the Dallas Cup last year. He scored two goals in his opening game against Club America, one of the goals was set up by Adnan Januzaj.

5. Wilson was only told about his first ever selection on the bench for the Man United first team when media manager Karen Shotbolt handed him the team sheet. His name instantly started trending on twitter with Manchester United fans as soon as the news was revealed.

6. Wilson, before his debut against Hull, said that his career highlight was training with Nemanja Vidic and Tom Cleverly at St James’s Park and admitted to feeling nervous just training with these stars. Vidic spent time with him one on one focusing on short and sharp passes. 

7. James Wilson was spotted by Manchester United when he was scoring goals for fun for Biddulph under-9s as a 7 year old. They invited him to train after only watching him the once and he was already in the Manchester United youth team when he was a Year 7 pupil at Park Middle School, Knypersley.

8. He nearly went on an emergency loan to Burnley in March. Sean Dyche approached Wilson after the striker had scored a hat-trick against the Burnley youth team, with a view to a move which the United centre forward turned down.

10 Things You Need to Know About Ozil

his was a truly unforgettable summer transfer window for everyone connected with Arsenal football club. It all started when the club’s chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, blew his trumpet about how the team had the financial capabilities to compete with the creme de la creme of European football but Arsenal fans watched in disgust as transfer targets like Stevan Jovetic and Gonzalo Higuain slipped past their grasps to join new employers. Then there was the failed pursuit of Luis Suarez, a protracted saga that ended in anguish as well.
Prior to yesterday’s transfer deadline day, the Gunners had signed Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini for free.
The Aston Villa debacle happened and the fans went berserk as they used various social media to voice their frustrations but Arsene Wenger steadied the ship on his team picked a rich run of form, winning Fulham, Fenerbahce on two occasions and the old enemy, Tottenham Hotspurs, despite their multi-million pound squad.
Yesterday, Arsenal shocked the football world as they smashed their transfer record to swoop for Real Madrid’s Mesut Ozil, who underwent the second part of his medical in Munich on Monday after agreeing personal terms with the club. The German is set to become Arsenal’s highest earner with a salary of £130,000-per-week that runs till 2018.
Arsenal fans (me included) went haywire on various social media as they are basking in the euphoria of seeing the club smash their transfer record to sign a top, top, top, top…top quality player.
Without further ado, here are 10 things you need to know about Arsenal’s new acquisition.
He’s the Most Creative Force in European Football
Courtesy of Mesut Ozil’s official site, the 24-year-old German has played 353 football games, made 12,647 passes (85 percent passing completion percentage), scored 59 goals and most importantly, he has created a whooping 144 assists. The table below shows a more detailed breakdown on Ozil’s amazing stats.

	Games	Passes	Pass Completion Percentage	Goals	Assists
Bundesliga (Schalke and Bremen)	101	2,937	83%	13	31
German National Team	47	2,597	88%	14	24
Champions League	41	1,787	86%	4	17
Real Madrid	159	6,832	85%	27	72

In the last three seasons, Ozil has amassed an amazing haul of 94 assists for both club and country. Arsenal’s primary creator-in-chief in the yesteryear, Cesc Fabregas, has managed 49 assists for Barcelona and Spain in the same timeframe. The players that follow Ozil in the assists charts for both club and country in the past three seasons are Lionel Messi (80), Juan Mata (66), Franck Ribery (55) and Eden Hazard (52).
In Ozil, Arsenal has acquired arguably the most creative player in the world at the moment.

His Technique on the Ball is Exquisite
Ardent followers of European football can attest to the fact that Mesut Ozil is a joy to watch when he’s on the pitch. Despite the fact that he was playing under the shadow of the almighty Cristiano Ronaldo in his Real Madrid days, Ozil showed off his quality on a consistent basis with his excellent control on the ball, eagle-eyed vision and those goals that came in handy from time to time.
Ozil also posed a threat from distance as he possessed a powerful shot, he’s a very skillful player and his flamboyance is unrivaled.
Ozil is widely recognized in the football world and has often been compared to other leading football technicians like Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo.

He has Turkish Roots
You don’t even need to speak or learn German to know that Mesut Ozil isn’t a name from that nation. He’s is a a third-generation Turkish-German, of Kurdish descent and he was born in the old Ruhr mining town of Gelsenkirchen where he spent his formative years at Schalke 04. His father, Mustafa Ozil, moved to Germany at the age of two and his ancestors are from a town in Northern Turkey called Devrek.
Devrek is a town in the Zonguldak province in the Black Sea region of Turkey.  Pine, oak, fir,beech, elm, chestnut, and lime trees are found throughout the forests around Devrek. The town’s weather is cool during the summer and warm and rainy during the winter season.
Besides, the Ozils, the town can also boast about Dr. Salim Yilmaz, a space station inventor.

His Comparison with Diego in his Werden Bremen Days
Diego Ribas da Cunha is a Brazilian attacking midfielder that has plied his trade in major European clubs before settling down in VFL Wolfsburg. After breaking out from the Santos setup in 2002, Diego arrived at FC Porto as the touted successor to Barcelona-bound Champions League winner, Deco, but he failed to live up to the hype.
He was offered some solace in Werder Bremen and he played some of his best football in the German club, guiding them to the DFB Pokal in 2009. After offering his best years to Werden Bremen, he departed for Juventus with a big-money move but the Brazilian struggled in Delle Alpi and was shipped to Wolfsburg where he has been ever since, but he went on loan to Atletico Madrid last season.
Mesut Ozil arrived in Bremen following a fallout with the Schalke management, and he was fondly called “der Neue Diego” (the next Diego) after his Brazilian predecessor. Like Diego, Ozil predominantly played behind the striker, was also a flamboyant player for Bremen and his impact at Bremen was immediate.
After initially being charged with the task of filling the void left by Brazilian playmaker Diego, Ozil made his own name by scoring the winning goal in Bremen’s DFB-Pokal cup triumph and helping the side reach the final of the last ever Uefa Cup, which they lost to Shakhtar Donetsk.

He’s a Core Player for the German National Team
Ozil was chanced with the opportunity to play for Turkey and Germany but he chose the latter and represented the nation at junior levels before his debut against Norwich in February 2009.
On the international scene, Ozil rose to prominence following some breathtaking performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was a standout performer in the Group Stages as the Germans topped their group and braced themselves for a Second Round showdown with Fabio Capello’s England. Even if the game might be remembered for that Frank Lampard attempt on goal that passed the line, German ran riot past the Three Lions and Ozil even set up Thomas Mueller to put the game beyond doubt.
Ozil also created an assist for Miroslav Klose in the 4-0 drubbing of Argentina and he was shortlisted for the FIFA World Cup MVP award that was eventually won by Uruguay’s Diego Forlan. Following a victory over Uruguay, Ozil earned a bronze medal, which was his second piece of international silverware, as he was part of the Germany Under-21 squad that won the 2009 Under-21 Euros.
Ozil showcased his creativity in Germany’s run to Euro 2012, supplying seven assists to his teammates, which made him the most creative player in the qualifiers. In the tournament, Ozil was part of the German squad that qualified from the Group of Death, as they were drawn with Holland, Portugal and Denmark but their run was halted abruptly in the semifinals courtesy of the Mario Balotelli show for Italy.
Ozil is a vital cog in the German midfield engine and he will be odds on to feature at the 2014 FIFA World Cup that comes next summer.
Real Madrid Won Every Game Ozil Managed to Score
This is a pretty interesting stat, as Ozil isn’t really known to score goals.
He prefers to create chances for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema to score but every time he managed to get on the score sheet, Real Madrid ended up winning the game. In his debut campaign with Real Madrid, Ozil scored 10 goals and repeated the same goal haul in his third season with the club.
He notched up a total of 27 goals for the Spanish giants and they won every game he was on the score sheet.
You Can Follow him on Twitter
Twitter is a very powerful social networking platform that has connected so many people with others with the same interests. Footballers also use this platform to interact with their fans giving them info on their activities and what have you.
Arsenal has its fair share of tweeps in the form of Jack Wilshere, Aaon Ramsey, Bacary Sagna, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and a host of others.
Mesut Ozil has a strong presence on Twitter with over three million followers thus far. You can follow him on Twitter @MesutOzil1088
Click on the link to follow Arsenal’s new boy and don’t forget to follow @goonerdaily while you’re at it.
He’s a Devout Muslim
Like Newcastle’s Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa, Mesut Ozil is part of the Muslim community and he recites Qur’an verses before all his matches to help him focus,

“I always do that before I go out (on the pitch). I pray and my team-mates know that they cannot talk to me during this brief period.”

Ozil also fasts during the Ramadan period as well.
Arsene Wenger Rates him Highly
Following the capture of a major superstar like Ozil, it was expected that his manager was going to air his views on his new recruit,

“I have said throughout the summer that we have been working hard to bring in top quality players to this football club. This has involved many many people across the Club and I have always had the full support of the Club in making decisions on the football side.
“Mesut is a top quality footballer who will be a fantastic addition to our talented squad. We are all looking forward to him joining up with us after his international matches with Germany and working with us as an Arsenal player.”

He Will Fit Perfectly in Arsenal Style of Play
Arsenal has its fair share of creative midfielders in the forms of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey but with Ozil spraying passes like hot knife through butter, both Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott should see their goal haul rise to astronomical levels.
With Lukas Podolski and the Ox out injured, it seems more than likely that Cazorla would continue playing from the left hand side of attack to support Giroud and Walcott. Ramsey is rapidly becoming an indispensable player for the team and with Wilshere’s fitness still being a concern, Arsenal can count on Mathieu Flamini to deputize in his stead.
However, the arrival of a mega-signing like Ozil could signal the end for Rosicky, as Wenger would favor playing Ozil behind Giroud, where he’s most potent. Arsenal’s fluid intricate passing play would make Ozil blend into the team quickly and he won’t have problems adapting to the Premier League as well, with his compatriots, Per Mertesacker and Podolski will be willing to make him feel at home.
To wet your appetites on what Ozil has to offer, please feast your eyes on this YouTube compilation.

Conclusion
Yes, the fans cried out for a new center back but Arsene Wenger remoulded Bacary Sagna to a fine center back and his performances alongside Mertesacker are as good you would ever see from a more recognized center back.
The fans cried out for a marquee defensive midfielder and names like Marouane Fellaini, Luiz Gustavo, Etienne Capoue, Asier Illarramendi and Lars Bender popped up more times than the amount of gum Sir Alex Ferguson has ever chewed. The manager rolled back the years to sign the combative and tenacious Mathieu Flamini that put up a great show against Tottenham.
The fans cried out for a certain Julio Cesar to challenge Wojciech Szczesny, but the Gunners loaned Palermo’s Emiliano Viviano, Italy’s current No. 2 goalie behind the legendary Gianluigi Buffon.
The fans cried out for a center forward to support Giroud, but Wenger still harbors some hopes of playing Nicklas Bendtner, is he throws his inflated ego out the window and brings his head down.
In all honesty, I would never have imagined that a thrifty club like Arsenal would be willing to spend £42.4m on a player but the signing of Ozil will be the lift that the players need to go all the way this season. His arrival will be a massive signing for the Gunners – this is a game changing move from Arsene Wenger.
When you play against G-irOuD, oZIL and cazor-LA, better be scared because together they form GODZILLA
Welcome m-OZIL-la firefox.

Arsenal Fan: 10 Things I Miss About Highbury

1) The Mystery of the Horse’s Skeleton at the Laundry End
As a kid I’d heard the rumours of a horse being buried when they were building the foundations of the original North Bank in 1913, then known as the Laundry End. That a horse and cart that had fallen into the rubble and that the unfortunate creature had to be put down.
I’d also heard that when they rebuilt the North Bank in 1993 they failed to find any remains and was disappointed to think that the tale simply did not occur. I remember a mate sitting on his shiny new seat in the North Bank the first day they opened it as an all seater stand and wondering out loud whether he was sitting near “that horse”. It got a round of hearty laughter from the fans around us who knew exactly what he was talking about.  It was about the only highlight of that day as a certain Mickey Quinn of Coventry City scored as unlikely a hat-trick as you will ever see as the Sky Blues tonked us 3-0 on the first day of the 1992/92 season.
I had forgotten all about the horse until our move from Highbury which necessitated further digging at the beloved old ground, as it turned into the Highbury Square residential development.
Would you believe it, far below the surface workmen found two horseshoes alongside the remains of some timber, believed to be the cart. The story was true. My ten year old self was delighted. To be fair my thirty-something self was pretty pleased too, when I heard the news confirming such a romantic story in our long history had been confirmed.
As far as I know the horse shoes have been put in the Arsenal museum  – not that they’ve brought much luck in the way of trophies just yet….
2) The Schoolboys Enclosure
This piece of hallowed concrete, which was effectively the lower tier of the East Stand was a rite of passage for all young Gunners of a certain vintage. When I first started going it was 75p entrance into the shallow terracing. No-one could call themselves a true Arsenal fan unless they stood here as a youngster, up until they put seats there in the early nineties as the ground dutifully complied with the Taylor Report.
If you know someone who claims to be a life-long Arsenal fan that is approaching middle age, ask them if they ever stood on the Schoolboys Enclosure. If they did then chances are you’re talking to a bona-fide gooner.
Nick Hornby recalls being terrified there as a kid, and having his scarf nicked. When I started going in the early 80s I seem to recall it was a bear pit full of streetwise Islington rascals. It says something that I was actually glad to graduate to the Clock End, and onto a whole new set of ruffians…
3) The Peanut Man
What passes for food at Arsenal these days? Genuine Handcrafted Pies made by machine at a fiver a pop? Nachos? Arsenal goujons?
That’s not proper football fayre.
No-one who stood at Highbury can forget the Peanut Man.
Incidentally the first time a good mate saw a picture of Stefan Swartz advertising ‘Arsenal goujons’ at the food counters in that cramped alleyway that passed for the entrance, exit and passageway in the Clock End he asked in all seriousness ‘What the f*ck is a goo-john?’ To me I still date his question as the first sign of the gentrification of Arsenal.
The Peanut Man did what it said on the tin. Or his brown paper sack of peanuts at any rate. He sold Peanuts. But he didn’t wait for you to come to him. He came to you. Via the terraces. He was in effect offering a delivery service for monkey nuts. I always thought he must have been a contortionist the way he weaved effortlessly through huge crowds.
It always felt like the larger the crowd the more you would see him on his circuit of the ground. I remember one game against Man Utd we actually scored when he was selling peanuts (in their shells of course) to a bloke behind me. Despite the mayhem – and me and many others inadvertently crushing up against him – he not only kept hold of his bag of nuts but actually gave the right change to the man who was by now insensible with joy: and managed to utter his immortal words, “peanuts, peanuts, cola”.
Even writing those words brought me back to a time before pubs stayed open all day, and if you didn’t meet your friends at a time and place you had agreed on you wouldn’t see them again as there was no chance of getting in touch in this distant per-mobile phone era…

4) Queuing at the Clock End turnstiles for big match tickets.
This may not seem like a memory to those who buy their tickets over the internet these days. But believe it or not kids, for FA Cup Final replays, and FA Cup Semi’s, not to mention big away cup games where we had a large allocation, you had to take your place – invariably at the top of Highbury Hill as the queue was already huge – and wait patiently to pass through the turnstiles. As you did you would have to chance to buy a ticket for the particular game that you wanted to go to (cash only mind).
The worst was when the powers that be decreed that tickets would go on sale for a predetermined game after the final whistle of a game that was actually taking place at the time. I recall as a kid waiting in a drunken crowd of big blokes who were all straining to hear on Avenell Road what exactly was going on at the game we had paid to see. It was like some surreal Kafka-esque experiment.
I went after school once to get tickets for a semi and had my new sports “Head” bag trampled in the melee, then ripped to piece by the wrought iron turnstile it had got trapped in.
It was worth it. I had just bought myself a ticket for Tottenham v Arsenal, Littlewoods Cup Semi Final replay at the Lane , 4^th March, 1987.
5) The Marble Halls
If you ask any football fan to name something about Highbury chances are that they would mention the Marble Halls. All Arsenal fans were proud of this fact.
They used to sell tickets at the counters inside under the brass metal railway plate so you were able to enter this hallowed area if you had a good enough excuse back in the day.
I loved the way your school shoes would echo to the solid stone when you walked over it. I always made sure I cleaned them if I knew I had to pop up after school to Arsenal to get tickets or transport for some away game or other.
There always used to be a gaggle of touts outside on non-match days if there was a big game approaching. Eyes darting and speaking out of the side of their mouths like all touts used to do they would pull big rolls of extremely used tenners from their pockets, and ask kids to go in and buy some tickets for them.
As a serious child who knew even then that talking out of the side of your mouth was a Bad Thing I never trusted them. (That fact holds true even today. And I’d still like to have a quiet word with the one who sold me a nicked ticket for a ton for Chelsea away in the Champions League in 2004).
My mates were far less fastidious. They used to get a quid a ticket if they followed the touts orders. When one tried to undercut the rest by offering 50p per ticket, it prompted less than the normal efficient response from my pal when lying to those behind the counter. “Are they for the touts outside”, a terrifying club stalwart of the Travel Club asked us. As he was losing 50p a ticket on the deal my unmotivated mate simply replied yes. “F*ck ‘em then”, this Arsenal administrative legend who is still at the club replied.
I have also seen with my own eyes an Arsenal player (who shall remain nameless) brazenly hand over a wad of tickets to a well-known tout who in turn gave him a brick of fivers. I suppose it’s marginally more honest than lying on a casino floor with 50 quid notes plastered all over you, which is what certain players of certain teams do these days.
The amount of dodgy dealing that used to go on there – and in front of those immaculate Commissionaires resplendent in their starched uniforms too.
6) The Arsenal Locomotive Nameplate
I always thought that the art deco style of the famous marble halls was complemented even more by the most random item. Hands up who remembers the curved Arsenal Locomotive Nameplate with the small football underneath?
LNER, in 1936 rolled out a new class of engine. To publicise the feat they decided to name them after various football clubs. As befitting Arsenal’s status as the most well-known football club in England – some would say the world at the time, the first train off the production line was named Arsenal. On March 15 Lord Lonsdale, the Chairman of the club, unveiled the nameplate at Kings Cross station, and the engine stayed in service until it was withdrawn in 1958, upon which the nameplate was presented to the club and hung in the Marble Halls sometime after.
For those with literal trainspotting tendencies the Arsenal number was 2848. (Other prominent numbers included Leeds United 2856 and Manchester United 2862. Did I really just write that sentence?)
7) The Bloke Who Shouted “Come on you Rip-Roaring Reds” every time the game went quiet late in the second half.
I wasn’t sure if he was certifiably insane, mentally ill or just p*ssed. Either way it formed the soundtrack to my youth.
8) The advertising sign on the East Stand that read “JVC and Arsenal – The Perfect Match”
The power of marketing on impressionable minds. For years I only ever bought JVC branded electrical goods. More to the point I never drank Holsten Pils.
9) The “Make Money” women.
Arsenal’s first venture into commercialism. Women selling raffle tickets as they walked round the cinder track before games and at half time. I’m sure one prize once was a “tray of meat”. Who says the eighties wasn’t a simpler age?
10) Shouting “We’re the North Bank/We’re the Clock End/ Highbury” to each other at loud volumes.
People who talk about the “positive Matchday experience” at Arsenal these days don’t remember that going to Highbury simply used to be fun.
There is a Clock End at Ashburton Grove but that’s all it is.
An end with a Clock.
It’s not even the original.
When I sit on my padded Season Ticket seat in the silent new ground that I insist on calling the Grove, watching the latest day-tripper devour a box of Arsenal goujons, a bag full of overpriced club shop tat at their side, whilst they prod me, and demand a photo of them gurning inanely during the game with their backs to the pitch, unable to name half the current team, let alone the three statues outside – I think back to the days of supporting The Arsenal at Highbury.
And die a little death at the loss of that glorious old place.
And one thing I don’t miss….
Millwall and West Ham United always taking the North Bank
As a kid I’d always start to get worried when I came out of Arsenal tube and saw huge mobs of shifty looking blokes in the latest sports casual gear I’d never seen before, desperately trying to look inconspicuous while they walked up to the turnstiles. It never worked but I must admit as I queued for the schoolboys enclosure I would let out a sigh of relief that when it did kick off I would be able to watch it from the relative safety of the lower corner of the East Stand.
The day the ICF let off a smoke bomb at the front of the North Bank was a particular low, as were the 12,000 Lions fans who came to N5, in the infamous FA Cup game of 1987 – all of whom seemed intent on taking a piece of Highbury back to South East London with them.

The 15 facts you never knew about Arsenal Football Club

1 – Its terrifying history

Before the continents broke apart, North London was home to the original Native Americans. Emirates Stadium is now built on top of an ancient Indian burial ground. One day, a club employee brought his daughter to the stadium and set her down to watch TV, only to be horrified when a portal opened up in a stationary closet and sucked her inside.

2 – How it was founded by a secret society

The Dial Square brigade, as they were known, founded the football club in 1886 not simply to play football, but to celebrate the 1886th victim of their Satanic cult. The leader, a sinister man named Dean Davids, was a suspect for the Jack the Ripper murders.

3 – It’s not the only Arsenal

Gunners fans may think their club is unique but there are other Arsenals. There’s Arsenal de Sarandí (Argentina), FC Arsenal Kyiv (Ukraine), Bonzer Arsenal (Australia), McArsenal Thistles (Scotland), L’Arsenal (French Guyana) and Bloody Arse Arsenal (London Hospital of Proctology).

4 – A pioneering kit

Pioneering manager Herbert Chapman not only designed the eye-catching Gunners home kit of red shirts with white sleeves but also teamed up with Italian company Indesit to invent a new type of mechanical washing machine which prevented the two colours running. The joint venture formed the bedrock of a commercial relationship which continues to this day.

5 – Arsenal’s travel ban

Former chairman Peter Hill-Wood banned Arsenal from ever touring the Philippines due to the country’s involvement in George Graham’s bung scandal of the early nineties. The Scot was dismissed for accepting Manila envelopes containing thousands of pounds from the agent of Norwegian star Pal Lydersen. Sir Chips has since Phillip-flopped on the decision.

6 – Wembley pants party

Pictures of Charlie George’s famous 1971 FA Cup final goal celebration were heavily censored by newspapers at the time because the player’s horizontal pose highlighted a thumping great erection inside his tight blue shorts. Under duress from manager Bertie Mee, the striker apologised for his behaviour by donating his win bonus to Pele’s erectile dysfunction charity.

7 – How they almost didn’t sign Thierry Henry

The Frenchman is the club’s all time leading scorer but despite having a hard time at Juventus, Arsene Wenger almost missed out on his signing. He’d been in discussions with other European clubs when the pair met by chance at a Huey Lewis and the News concert. Now that’s what we call the Power of Love!

8 – The underhand tactics

When Arsenal were more green that red in the 1970s due to the proliferation of players from the Emerald Isle, the likes of David O’Leary and Liam Brady would carry that traditional Irish trick before games: releasing a box of furious otters into the opposition dressing room. It worked well enough to get then to three FA Cup finals in a row, although lack of available otters in 1978 and 1980 led to Wembley disappointment.

9 – Why Le French revolution nearly never happened

When Bruce Rioch’s time at the club was coming to an end, Arsene Wenger was under contract at Nagoya Grampus 8 and the Japanese side were unhappy about him leaving. In order to facilitate the move, Arsenal officials promised to provide a kidney for one of Grampus’s directors but couldn’t find a match. In the end they had to dissect 15 orphans to find one that would work!

10 – The Bank of England connection

Arsenal were known as the Bank of England club because of their wealth but also their austere nature. The reality is that the club’s owner, Sir Henry Norris, ran a massive counterfeit operation from under the east stand at Highbury, churning out thousands of 5 shilling notes every day.

11 – Sock it to him

Cristiano Ronaldo came very close to signing for Arsenal but saw his move to Highbury break down over a disagreement with Thierry Henry about sock length. The Frenchman’s contract dictated that he alone should be allowed to sport socks like seductive over-the-knee stockings, a look which the Portuguese also coveted. Vic Akers delivered the deciding vote in a tense boardroom meeting, siding with the Gallic hitman. Ronaldo subsequently signed with United where he was allowed to wear a french knickers instead of shorts.

12 – Friar tucks in

Ken Friar drinks the blood of a sacrificed cockerel at the end of every league season as thanks for Tottenham’s league title trophy drought. Soon after the ritual, which he’s been undertaking since 1962 and also includes puncturing a basketball, the lifelong club servant heads to the Wetherspoons on Highbury corner where he drinks a tray of Aftershocks to rid himself of the taste.

13 – Terry’s big cock up

Manager Terry Neill, believing Clive Allen to be the son of hilarious comic Dave and therefore a fine addition to the Arsenal ranks, was so nauseated by the presence of the former QPR man that he immediately sold him to Crystal Palace, taking left back Kenny Sansom to Highbury in the process. Allen’s insistence on daily handshakes were, to Neill, the sign of a deeply insecure man, while club captain Pat Rice led a player revolt due to Allen’s intensely cloying musk.

14 – The Big Mac

Ex-Gunners striker Malcolm MacDonald successfully sued American fast-food outlet McDonald’s for a six-figure sum in 1979 when they introduced a ‘Super Mac’ to their menu. The sandwich, which included six patties, mild cheddar and a deep fried bun, was withdrawn from service after just one week when judges at the Old Bailey ruled the player’s nickname had indeed been the subject of copyright infringement.

15 – The move to North London

It’s a fact that still enrages fans of Tottenham Hotspurs, a small amateur outfit from Middlesex, but the Arsenal moved North of the river in order to get away from a group of young ladies who, much against the way of the world back then, had relentlessly stalked some of the players in an overtly sexual manner. Ace winger, Cliff Winstanley, was so aghast when flashed with provocative bloomers he had to be put in a mental institution and died a lunatic just three years later. The licentious ways south of the Thames were too much for the gentlemanly Gunners.