Newcastle United hero ‘rejected’ Arsenal transfer as Eddie Howe makes brilliant admission

Ginola moved to Newcastle United in July 1995 after spending four years in the French capital with PSG. The Frenchman would instantly become a cult-hero at St James’ Park and an iconic figure of Kevin Keegan’s ‘Entertainers’.

However, as he explained via The Overlap, a move to Tyneside may not have happened for Ginola had Barcelona been able to move on some of their foreign players: “I had a great time in Paris,” Ginola said, “we won the league, two French Cups and I played in three semi-finals. It was a really good time. 

“At that time, I should have signed for Barcelona, and I met Johan Cruyff during the summer and he said that I was his priority at Barcelona. He had six foreigners at the club at the time and needed to get rid of [Gheorghe] Popescu, [Gheorghe] Hagi and [Hristo] Stoichkov to put my name on the list for the chairman. 

“I wanted for that [move to happen], and we arrived at the 14th of July, Independence Day in France, and he called me and said that he couldn’t find any club to pay their wages, so it had to be for another time.”

After a failed move to the Camp Nou, a move to England would finally materialise for Ginola as Newcastle United secured their man. However, the 57-year-old has revealed that a call from north London could have changed all of his plans.

“I was in Amsterdam and received a call from Terry McDermott and he asked whether I wanted to sign for them, and I said, ‘Okay.’ An hour later, I get a phone call from David Dein [of Arsenal] who asked whether I’d signed for Newcastle because they wanted to offer me a contract. I said that I didn’t sign anything, but I gave my word to Terry and Kevin Keegan, so it was done. Things happened very quickly.”

Ginola would play 76 times during a two year stint at St James’ Park, registering seven goals and a further 16 assists. Strikes against Ferencvaros and Manchester United will forever be played on rotation by Magpies fans.

Despite him leaving the club to join Tottenham Hotspur over a quarter of a century ago, Ginola still remains a fan favourite and recently played a starring role in the club’s unveiling of their away kit, one inspired by their 1995/96 changed strip. Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe also appeared in that unveiling video and was recently asked which player from the club’s past he would like to have in his current squad.

The answer? Ginola.

"There's so many to pick,” Howe told the Adopted Geordies podcast. “I'm not going to go for a positional need looking at our squad.

“There are probably a few from 'The Entertainers' era, that's the team I know the best. You've got loads of good players but [David] Ginola was, he just looked so good didn't he? It did contribute to how good he looked with how he ran, to his technical ability, he was a difference maker."