Turning down Manchester United for Chelsea due to his wife’s desire to avoid living up north ended up being a significant regret for the legendary midfielder
Emmanuel Petit regrets one transfer move in his career(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Emmanuel Petit was poised to return to England and came close to signing for Manchester United, but ultimately chose Chelsea instead. The two sides go head-to-head on Saturday evening.
United are looking to bounce back after suffering a 2-1 loss to Leeds earlier in the week, and Chelsea also coming off the back off a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. While Petit only represented one of the Premier League giants, he had long harboured a desire to play at Old Trafford – but opted for the Blues when the moment arrived.
This choice turned out to be one of his greatest regrets after he decided to head back to London to keep his wife happy. Petit spent three seasons at Arsenal in the late 1990s, claiming both the Premier League title and FA Cup before departing for Barcelona in 2000.
Following a difficult debut season in La Liga, the defensive midfielder was strongly linked with a return to England. Tottenham, Chelsea and United were all said to be keen — yet the most appealing prospect for Petit was a move to Old Trafford.
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Despite this, the now-55-year-old revealed in his 2015 book – Franc-tireur (Maverick) – that he failed to follow a “sporting choice” when returning to England. Petit said: “I made a lifestyle choice to the detriment of the sporting choice.
“And on the rare occasions that I’ve made that choice, I’ve got it wrong. It was the same thing when I left Barcelona to go back to Chelsea.
The Frenchman had already spent time in London with Arsenal(Image: Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images)
“I gave priority to the social life in London when [Sir Alex] Ferguson expected me to sign for Manchester United. My wife didn’t want to go to Manchester. I’m really annoyed at myself – I should have insisted upon my decision.”
Petit was married to Agathe de La Fontaine at the time, though they divorced in 2002 and share one child, Zoe. The France international is now in a relationship with Maria Servello, with whom he shares another child, Violet.
Petit acknowledged that his switch to Chelsea wasn’t what he desired at the time and had instead planned a move to Manchester. While his first season with the Blues proved difficult, the former midfielder did enjoy some success at Stamford Bridge.
He developed a solid partnership with Frank Lampard during the 2002/03 campaign, netting twice and providing four assists across 31 appearances as Chelsea clinched Champions League qualification by finishing fourth.
Petit wanted Manchester over a return to London, but his wife disagreed(Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
However, had he spent the rest of his playing days at United, Petit would hypothetically have accumulated more silverware. He would have claimed another Premier League crown and another FA Cup.
After battling with injury problems, the ex-Arsenal star hung up his boots in 2005, having turned down the opportunity to join Bolton Wanderers and prolong his career.
Speaking at the time, Petit said: “I was spared by injuries for most of my career but unfortunately I have had to undergo three operations within a year. Overall I’m very proud of my career.”
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