SHARE

For those of you with long memories, Sébastien Frey to Arsenal is a rumour you’ll remember with fondness.

The French goalkeeper was linked with a move to the Emirates every year for what felt like 15 years, becoming a saga that just wouldn’t quit.

Rumours of him joining the Gunners started all the way back in 1997 when he was just 17-years-old and continued each year from that point, with Chelsea also linked on occasion.

In 2003 it looked like he was finally an Arsenal player, with them hunting for a replacement for David Seaman but that never happened, with the rumours continuing until 2013 and beyond.

Embed from Getty Images

Whether he was actually ever close to joining the club remains a mystery, with it seeming there was undoubtedly more smoke than fire in terms of this long-running transfer rumour.

However, Frey has now confirmed there was once an offer, which he promptly turned down to stay at Parma.

“When I was in Parma I refused Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Chelsea,” he told Calciomercato.

“At Fiorentina, I said no to Milan and Bayern Munich, but I chose with the heart.

“We were in the Champions League, we brought the proposals to Fiorentina, and they behaved like gentlemen.

“They told me: ‘We understand that you are a great player, we offer you a contract as a great player.’ And since we had sweated everything, I was proud of it. “