Overview
- Silvestre says he was halfway through a Manchester City medical when Arsène Wenger contacted him via a friend and asked him to join Arsenal.
- He recounts apologising to City officials within 24 hours before travelling to London to sign a two-year deal.
- The transfer reportedly cost Arsenal around £750,000 according to contemporaneous reporting cited in the coverage.
- His switch made him the first player to move directly from Manchester United to Arsenal since Brian Kidd in 1974.
- Silvestre adds that City had a provisional agreement and that PSG, Bordeaux and Sunderland had shown interest, and he later made 43 Arsenal appearances including a run to the 2009 Champions League semifinals.