‘I spoke at length to Sir Alex Ferguson about Man Utd – but I decided to move to Chelsea’

Emmanuel Petit has revealed that he was a major transfer target for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United before eventually making his way to Chelsea. The former Arsenal star, who began his football journey with Arques La Bataille and then ascended through the ranks at Monaco, enjoyed a substantial stint in Ligue 1 amassing 291 appearances.

His sterling performance caught the eye of Arsenal, leading to his transfer in 1997 where he became a key player under Arsene Wenger’s management. With Arsenal, he celebrated victories in the Premier League, the FA Cup in the iconic double-winning 1997/98 season, as well as back-to-back wins in the Charity Shield across 1998 and 1999.

Petit had a less memorable time at Barcelona on the turn of the millennium, spending just one season at Camp Nou before returning to England, this time wearing the colours of Chelsea. United’s legendary manager Ferguson had hoped to bring him to Old Trafford, recognising his discontent at Barcelona.

While reminiscing in a conversation with BetMGM, Petit said: “Before I joined Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson called me twice as he knew I wasn’t happy at Barcelona and we spoke at length about the project,” reports the Mirror. His ties to Arsenal remained evident when he mentioned Wenger’s interest in potentially bringing him back to Highbury.

He added: “Arsene Wenger also called me to ask what the situation was but Claudio [Rainieri] came in person to meet me. We had lunch together and he was so nice. He really convinced me that Chelsea was the right move and so I moved there. Ferguson called me twice – one of which was a couple of weeks after I arrived – but I said I had made my mind up.”

During his time at Chelsea, Petit clocked up 76 appearances over three years before retiring in 2004. Although he was a star performer during that time, success eluded him at Stamford Bridge, with no silverware to show for it. In stark contrast, Manchester United thrived, lifting the Premier League trophy in the 2002/03 season, as well as securing an FA Cup and Community Shield the year after.

Petit has spoken out recently about nearly becoming a Tottenham player prior to his Arsenal chapter. On David Seaman’s Betway podcast ‘Seaman Says’, Petit revealed: “The same day I joined Arsenal, I was in the Spurs office. They paid for a cab for me to go and sign for Arsenal. It’s been 26 years now. You can turn the page, close the books and move on.”

The Frenchman played under Wenger at Monaco and cherished the desire to reconnect with the iconic manager in England, sharing: “Sometimes you have to feel what your heart is telling you, not your head.

“I wanted to reunite with Arsene. He brought me into the first team in Monaco. He took me from the academy, I was not a professional, and was playing for the first team for European finals, French cup final, for the big prizes all the time. I was enjoying my life, and I know what I owe to Arsene, more as a person than as a player because he was acting as a father with me for years and years.”