Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith has revealed that he once rejected a transfer approach from Sir Alex Ferguson while watching Coronation Street at his parents' house. The 63-year-old, who later became a key figure for the Gunners, shared the anecdote on the Seaman Says podcast with former team-mate David Seaman.
Smith, who scored 84 goals for Leicester City between 1982 and 1987, was surprised to receive a telephone call from the Manchester United manager in early 1987. Ferguson had been at Old Trafford for only around a year at the time and his side were struggling. Smith recalled: "One January evening, I was living with my mum and dad still and we were watching Coronation Street. The phone goes in the hall and my mum picks it up and she says, 'Alan, it's Alex Ferguson on the phone for you.' I thought she misheard the name."
The former England forward explained how he politely turned down Ferguson's offer to wait until the summer, when he would have been a free agent. "I said, 'Mr Ferguson, I'm sorry but I've made up my mind, I want to join Arsenal,'" Smith said. Despite a momentary doubt after putting the phone down, he felt vindicated as Arsenal had already expressed interest and he had spoken to them in a roundabout way.
Smith moved to Arsenal in March 1987 but was sent back to Leicester on loan for the remainder of that campaign. He went on to leave his mark in north London, scoring in the historic First Division title-clinching match against Liverpool at Anfield in 1989, which ended Arsenal's 18-year wait for the championship. He was the club's leading scorer for four consecutive seasons, won another league title in 1991, and clinched the League Cup and FA Cup double in 1993, before netting the winner in the 1994 European Cup Winners' Cup final.
Ferguson, meanwhile, overcame his rocky start at United. He won the FA Cup in 1990 and the first Premier League title in 1992/93, going on to become the most successful manager in English football history with 13 league titles.
