Emmanuel Petit wishes he had rejected Chelsea transfer

Emmanuel Petit revealed an interesting take on his career where he claimed regret at joining Chelsea instead of Manchester United.

Emmanuel Petit has one of the most interesting careers to look behind, winning many trophies along the way. Like every other footballer, he too has few regrets, including an important one of joining Chelsea instead of Manchester United.

Petit came to English football when he signed for Arsenal in 1997 and became one of the key players under Arsene Wenger. During his time in north London, he helped the Gunners win the Premier League and FA Cup ‘double’ while also triumphing with France at the 98 World Cup.

After this last season at Highbury, the midfielder won the Euro 2000 with France, and by then, he was in demand. Wenger accepted a bid from Barcelona, which more than tripled the money Arsenal paid to Monaco three years earlier.

After a single, trophyless season at Camp Nou, he returned to England and joined Chelsea. Petit expressed regret at joining the Blues through his comments in The Sun, expressed regret at joining the Stamford Bridge outfit, insisting he should have joined Manchester United instead.

Petit also spoke about Wenger wanting him back when he decided to leave Barcelona. At that moment, the midfielder respected the request but felt the French manager did not try to keep him when he left a year earlier.

Petit said, “Arsenal approached me, but so did Manchester United. I spoke to Arsene. He really wanted me back, but I was honest with him.”

“I said, ‘I appreciate it, and it’s very tempting, but I didn’t feel that you wanted me to stay when I signed for Barcelona a year ago.”

“It’s like divorcing somebody. When you don’t feel desired by them, what’s the point of going back? “I should have gone to Manchester United because Sir Alex Ferguson called me twice.”

Petit also revealed the reasons for not joining Manchester United, blaming his wife, who wanted to live in London.

He continued, “We had a very good conversation, and it was tempting, but once again, I listened to my wife.

“She wanted to go back to London – she didn’t want to live in Manchester – so I made the same mistake twice in one year.”

Petit eventually retired in 2004, and Chelsea were his last club. He did not win any trophies while at Stamford Bridge. Instead, he was part of the team that finished second to the Arsenal ‘invincibles’, which may have also caused him some regrets as he might have had a legendary status had he taken up the offer to return from Wenger.

It’s unclear whether Sir Alex Ferguson made another attempt while Petit was at Chelsea, but it seems unlikely. The Frenchman made 76 appearances for the Blues, scoring three times and collecting seven assists. He has since successfully forged a career as a pundit and on TV.