The forgotten overnight transfer hijack that beat Lille to the punch

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Arsenal face Lille in the Champions League this week, a fixture that will inevitably draw attention to players who have represented both clubs, such as Gabriel and Nicolas Pepe. But one of the strangest connections between the two sides dates back to 2011, when a South Korean forward had to sneak out of a hotel room to complete a move to the Emirates.

Park Chu young was coming off the best individual season of his European career in 2010/11, having scored 12 Ligue 1 goals for Monaco. It wasn't enough to prevent the principality club from being relegated, and a summer exit became all but certain.

For much of that window, Lille appeared to be his most likely destination. Park was in the middle of completing a medical with the French club, reportedly staying in a hotel room between the two sections of the examination, when Arsenal made a late intervention.

A disappearing act

According to football.london, Park was convinced to leave the hotel before finishing his medical with Lille, and he turned up at Arsenal instead. Lille chairman Michel Seydoux described the confusion at the time, saying: “We haven’t had a telephone call, nothing. From what we understand he could be at Arsenal.”

The move was confirmed soon after, with Arsenal paying a fee reported at between £3million and £5million. It marked the second time that summer Arsenal had taken a player from under Lille's noses, having already signed Gervinho from the French club earlier in the window.

Park later explained his decision, saying: “I had to choose between Lille and Arsenal. I wanted to choose without regret. It is a dream to be here and I am really proud to be an Arsenal player. Now I just want to show how good I am and prove myself. I will do my best, I will never give up, I will show heart, I will give everything and I hope [the fans] will support me.”

A modest Arsenal career

Despite the drama surrounding his arrival, Park's time at Arsenal never matched the promise of his Monaco form. He scored a memorable winner against Bolton in the League Cup during his first season, but that remained his only goal for the club across just seven appearances.

Loan spells at Celta Vigo followed before he left Arsenal permanently in the summer of 2014, with the number 9 shirt he had inherited from Lukas Podolski passing on to someone else. After representing South Korea at the 2014 World Cup, Park spent the rest of his career in Asia, including a brief stint in Saudi Arabia before returning home to play for FC Seoul and later Ulsan HD.

As for Lille, missing out on Park forced them back into the market late in the window, eventually signing Polish international Ireneusz Jelen, who struggled to make an impact. The French club fared better the following summer, bringing in Salomon Kalou from Chelsea, who scored 30 goals across two Ligue 1 campaigns.