Reiss Nelson has revealed how close he came to signing for Tottenham before opting to join their north London rivals Arsenal instead.
The 17-year-old wonderkid has come on leaps and bounds this season, and has already made five appearances for the Emirates club.
He is one of Arsenal's most promising young talents, but he could have been working his way through the ranks at Spurs had he signed for the club in 2009.
Speaking about his short career on Arsenal's official club podcast, Nelson opened up about his decision to join the Gunners.
"I was nine years old, I used to play for a team in Catford," he said.
"I would get up every morning with my brother, get on the train and travel to Catford three times a week. I was there for about two months playing for a team called Moonshot FC.
"I got scouted for Tottenham, I was at Tottenham for three or four weeks I'd say, and then the phone call from Arsenal came in and I went to Arsenal's training ground."
It seems that Arsene Wenger's interest in him was a decision factor for Nelson, but there was also something else working in the Gunners' favour.
"The first session they wanted to sign me so, happy days, I didn't look back," he added.
"I'm an Arsenal fan, everyone in my family is Arsenal, so it wasn't a hard decision."