Emmanuel Petit Reveals Why He Chose Chelsea Over Arsenal and Manchester United

Emmanuel Petit has ​revealed why he chose to sign for Chelsea when he left Barcelona in 2001, rejecting offers from both Manchester United and Arsenal, according to a report in ​TEAMtalk.

Midfielder Petit, along with teammate Marc Overmars, moved to the Nou Camp from Arsenal in 2000, after a successful three-year spell that included a Premier League title, one FA Cup win, and two Charity Shield victories.

However, after one year at Barcelona, which included him being played out of position and suffering a series of injuries, he returned to the Premier League.

The French World Cup winner explained that there were three clubs in a battle for his signature after he had asked to leave the Catalan side.

“That’s when Sir Alex Ferguson called me, twice.

“Arsène called me as well,” he added. “Claudio Ranieri actually came to see me, and ate with me at my house. I was charmed by him, what he had to say, and that’s why I wanted to sign for Chelsea.

“Remember, at the time, there was Giggs, Scholes, Roy Keane, Teddy Sheringham, Beckham… They had an incredible team. Stam at centre-back. Schmeichel in goal.”