Arsenal were a cut above under Arsene Wenger as he transformed the Gunners into one of England’s best and most exciting teams.
The likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Nwanko Kanu and Freddie Ljungberg lit up Highbury for a number of years.
However, no manager will ever have a perfect transfer record, and there were a few underwhelming signings in there as well as some what-ifs.
Kevin Phillips, who enjoyed a great career as a Premier League centre-forward, has now revealed how close he came to joining Arsenal.
He also shared what Wenger did after the move fell through, with Arsenal opting for Francis Jeffers instead.
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Kevin Phillips says Arsene Wenger apologised to him for not bringing him to Arsenal
Phillips, speaking on the Seaman Says podcast, spoke about how he became an Arsenal fan whilst growing up in Stevenage.
The former Sunderland star said his sister’s boyfriend was a Gunners fan and would take him to games as a youngster.
Phillips then said he came close to signing for Arsenal, prompting a surprised look by David Seaman.
He then explained how, despite talks with Wenger, the Gunners ended up signing Jeffers instead.
“I did come quite close to signing for Arsenal under Arsene, but he he went for Francis Jeffers, so he decided to take Francis Jeffers,” said Phillips.
“So I was like, the chance to play with Thierry Henry would have been a dream come true.
“We did have some dialogue with Arsene, but he decided to go for Fran, who was a bit younger than me, so that was a shame.”
After Seaman noted how Jeffers “didn’t play many times” and Sarah Carruthers said she was thinking “that’s the wrong choice”, Phillips said “to be fair, Arsene has apologised to me.”
How Kevin Phillips was doing around the time Arsenal would’ve been interested in him
Jeffers signed for Arsenal from Everton in June 2001, during which time Phillips was doing very well for Sunderland.
Phillips had just come off the back of a decent season for Sunderland in which he scored 18 goals in all competitions, including 14 in the Premier League.
Phillips’ best season was the 1999-2000 campaign, where he registered a staggering 30 goals in the Premier League on the Black Cats’ return to the top flight.
| League | League appearances | League goals | Appearances (all competitions) | Goals (all competitions) | |
| 1997–98 | First Division | 43 | 29 | 48 | 35 |
| 1998–99 | First Division | 26 | 23 | 32 | 25 |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 36 | 30 | 38 | 30 |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 34 | 14 | 42 | 18 |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 37 | 11 | 39 | 13 |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 32 | 6 | 36 | 9 |
| Total | 208 | 113 | 235 | 130 |
That tally saw him not only win the Premier League Golden Boot, but the European Golden Shoe as the most prolific goalscorer in a European top flight.
Phillips then scored 13 goals in all competitions during the 2001/02 campaign, but only managed nine in all competitions in 2002/03, with Sunderland being relegated that season.
Meanwhile, Jeffers spent four seasons on Arsenal’s books, making 39 appearances in all competitions and scoring eight goals.
