Arsenal face Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday in a huge game for both sides. Back your team by betting with 138.com and get a free bet!

Arsenal have their own version of the Harry Kane rejection story in the form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who Tottenham Hotspur foolishly turned down in 2012.

Everyone knows the story of Harry Kane by now. He joined the Arsenal academy at eight years old, but he was let go after one season. Tottenham also turned him down at first, but eventually gave him another chance after he impressed against them on trial with Watford.

The media love to go on about how this Arsenal rejection fuels Kane to keep scoring against them, but it seems the same thing is true for Gunners striker Aubameyang.

“I was at Tottenham back then (in 2012), had a tour of the stadium and the training ground,” Aubameyang told Bild last year. “We held talks, but after that nobody contacted me again. That’s definitely extra motivation for me.”

The striker used that motivation very effectively with Borussia Dortmund, scoring four goals in four games against Arsenal’s North London rivals. However, he didn’t manage to do the same for the Gunners back in February. In his defence, an incorrectly-raised offside flag had a lot to do with that.

Nowadays, Aubameyang is fully taking on the anti-Tottenham sentiment at the Emirates. He told Sky Sports this week that the “rivalry is too much” for him to enjoy Spurs’ performances, and that he hopes only Arsenal get into the Champions League next season.

At the end of the day, Arsenal turned down an eight-year-old who Tottenham weren’t impressed with either at the time. Tottenham turned down a 23-year-old who went on to score 182 club goals in the following six years. I know which decision I’d be more embarrassed by.

Arsenal face Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday in a huge game for both sides. Back your team by betting with 138.com and get a free bet!