A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, some 10 years ago.
The talk in the press had been that Arsenal's star striker would follow a steady stream of Gunners exchanging the Emirates Stadium for Manchester City's Etihad Stadium.
If memory serves me right, the Blues fans even sang about him joining their club during a Premier League match between the two sides. Yet Sir Alex Ferguson was able to broker a deal with Arsene Wenger, his much-respected rival and adversary, and the rest is history.
When the managers spoke, Ferguson empathised over the situation Wenger was faced with, either allowing his talisman to leave now or see out the final year of his contract and move under the Bosman ruling.