Former Scotland international Garry O'Connor has claimed that Arsenal wanted to sign him when he was planning to leave Lokomotiv Moscow in 2007.
The former Hibernian striker spent a year in Russia with Lokomotiv Moscow and even scored an extra time goal to win his side a cup final, but was keen to return to the United Kingdom because of family issues.
Steve Bruce pushed hard to sign the striker when he was St. Andrew’s and O’Connor eventually joined the Blues for a transfer fee of around £2.7m that summer.
O’Connor revealed that there were offers to move on loan from Lokomotiv and claimed that even Arsene Wenger was interested in taking him to Arsenal.
However, the Gunners were not prepared to pay the kind of money that Birmingham eventually forked out for the former Hibernian hitman.
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O’Connor told Open Goal when asked about his decision to leave Russia: “There were offers to go on loan. Mogga [Tony Mowbray] had gone to West Brom and he was dying to get me there.
“Steve Bruce [wanted me] at Birmingham and that’s the one that eventually happened.
“Arsenal showed an interest in me as well, [Arsene] Wenger, but they were only willing to pay £1.2m.”
O’Connor scored eleven goals in 61 appearances for Birmingham before joining Barnsley on a free transfer in 2011.
