For casual fans, Arsenal's biggest rivals might be the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, or Chelsea. However, none of those clubs come close to the rivalry that the Gunners share with Tottenham. Spurs and Arsenal absolutely hate each other, and their rivalry is one of the most heated in world football.
The likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, William Gallas, and Sol Campbell are some of the most prominent names to have played for both clubs in the past 2 decades. We will be looking at quite a unique player in this article, who became a legend at Spurs and yet won the ultimate prize with their biggest rivals Arsenal. Let us look back at the career of former English player George Hunt.
Short Chesterfield stint and Spurs move
George Hunt's early years saw him playing football for local sides in his native country, and this was followed by unsuccessful trials with Barnsley, Sheffield United and Port Vale. The Englishman did not give up though, which eventually resulted in Hunt joining Chesterfield after a short stint at Barnsley-based club Regent Street Congregational in 1929.
He operated as an inside forward or centre forward, scoring an impressive 9 goals in just 14 appearances for their Third Division North matches and 25 goals from 28 games for their Midland League team.
Just a year later, Hunt joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1930 for a £1,500 transfer fee. The London-based club became his home for the next 7 seasons, during which he became their top scorer in 3 consecutive campaigns from 1931–32 to 1933–34.
The Englishman's contributions during the 1932–33 campaign in particular was excellent, as his 32 league goals helped Spurs gain promotion to the First Division.
While his form dipped in the months that followed, Hunt ended his Tottenham tenure with a highly impressive 138 goals from 198 appearances ( League and FA Cup combined) .This feat also makes him the seventh best goalscorer in Tottenham history.
A history making moves
Hunt's goalscorer heroics caught the attention of Tottenham's arch rivals Arsenal, who went on to sign the player in 1937 for a £7,500 transfer fee. It was a historical transfer deal, as it made Hunt the first ever footballer to directly move from Spurs to Arsenal since 31 years. The previous player to make such a move was Peter Kyle, with that deal happening all the way back in 1906.
Tottenham's former attacking sensation was seen by Arsenal as the ideal replacement for their player Ted Drake, who was injured at the time. Hunt made his debut on 1st October 1937 against Manchester City at Highbury, and went on to make a total of 21 appearances for the Gunners that season (18 in the league).
Arsenal ended their season as the 1937–38 Football League, and Hunt finally got his hands on the biggest prize in English club football.
Hunt's time at Arsenal was quite a short one, which saw him only score 3 goals in 18 appearances. He ultimately left the club as well after Drake returned to fitness.
Final years
The next chapter of Hunt's football career took him to First Division side Bolton Wanderers, as Arsenal sold the player for a £4,000 transfer fee. Hunt regained his form at Bolton, scoring 23 goals in the 1938–39 season.
The period after this saw his career affected by the Second World War, during which he served in the Royal Artillery. Despite this, Hunt still took part in wartime matches for Bolton. He finished his career with Second Division club Sheffield Wednesday in 1948 after a 2 year stint.
Despite playing for both rival clubs, Hunt will always be remembered with love by both Arsenal and Spurs fans.
