Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has revealed how he turned down a big-money offer to join Sunderland in order to stay with the Gunners. And the man known as the 'Romford Pele' feels it was the best decision he ever made after a trophy-laden career under Arsene Wenger.
Peter Reid tried to tempt Parlour away from Highbury in 2001, but despite an offer which would have almost doubled the wage he was on at Arsenal, the midfielder decided not to make the switch the North East. He would go on to win the Premier League title twice, along with the FA Cup - also twice - and the Community Shield.
“It was the best decision I ever made,” Parlour told talkSPORT. “Because I would never have scored in a cup final, I would never have gone unbeaten with that team, I would never have got another three or four trophies.
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“For me, it was always about trophies. I was on about £20k a week I think at Arsenal at the time, in around 2001, roughly around then. It was Sunderland who came in for me and they offered me probably double my money. It was unbelievable. I love Peter Reid as a person, so I met him in London. I just wanted to meet him because he was an ex-England player, a midfielder, and I respected him.
“Steve Bould had just gone to Sunderland and he said, ‘Ray’s in great form, he’s good for the dressing room, why don’t you try and sign him?’ I met Peter and he was saying, ‘I can try and get you this and that’, and after another bottle of wine he was going up and up with wages – I was asking him if he wanted another bottle!x
“In the end, I went back to Arsenal, I think Arsene Wenger knew that I had rejected Sunderland and he then gave me some more money – he didn’t have to. I didn’t ask for it, but he just said, ‘I’m going to give you another £10k a week’ or something like that, and that was it, I stayed at Arsenal and, luckily, I did. I was in such a good team and I was always going to be playing on quite a regular basis as well."
Parlour did eventually sign for a North East club - making the switch to Middlesbrough in 2004 after 16 years at Arsenal.
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