Premier League legend reveals Sir Alex Ferguson ‘called him twice’ to try to sign him for Man United before he joined Chelsea…. including a couple of weeks AFTER he linked up with Blues
A Premier League legend has revealed Sir Alex Ferguson called him twice to try and persuade him to join Manchester United.
That includes a phone call that was beyond last-ditch as he claims Ferguson rang him two weeks after he had joined Chelsea.
The 1998 World Cup winner served Arsenal and Chelsea for three years each and won the title with the Gunners in 1997.
Emmanuel Petit is the player in question and he has revealed that Claudio Ranier’s persuasive charm convinced him to move to Chelsea, not United, from Barcelona in 2001.
‘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,’ he told BetMGM.
Emmanuel Petit has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson rang him twice to try and get him to join Chelsea – even after he had joined
Petit, who won the 1997-98 double with Arsenal, made the switch to Stamford Bridge in 2001
‘We spoke at length about the project (at Manchester United),’ Petit said of Ferguson
‘Arsene Wenger also called me to ask what the situation was but Claudio [Ranieri] 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.’
Legendary defensive midfielder Petit made his name with Monaco and won the Ligue 1 crown with them in 1996-97 before Arsene Wenger recruited him.
Petit was unveiled at Highbury with Marc Overmars when he arrived and three years later they were sold as a duo to Barcelona.
He won four trophies under fellow Frenchman Wenger, including the 1997-98 double, and is fondly remembered.
In 2017 Gunners fans voted him the 22nd-best player they had ever had.
His year out at Barca in 2000-2001 did not bring much joy. Describing his time there, he has said: ‘I Arrived in a bad moment. There was a war in the changing room between Catalan players and Dutch.
Petit arrived at Arsenal in 1997 alongside Marc Overmars and both were sold to Barcelona three years later
A meeting with ‘nice’ Claudio Ranieri persuaded him to join Chelsea for his final seasons
Zola spent three seasons at the back end of his career with Chelsea and helped them get to the Champions League semi-finals
‘Besides, head coach (Lorenzo) Serra Ferrer did not have the sufficient strength or necessary charisma to handle the team.’
And so Gunners fans had to see Petit sign for Chelsea and retire there, although he was unable to lift any silverware.
He retired after an injury-dogged 2003-04 season, the season before Jose Mourinho came and transformed the Blues from nearly men to a title-winning machine.
Had he joined United, he could have added another Premier League and FA Cup to his trophy cabinet in those years.
But he did reach the Champions League semi-finals in that final year, where they lost, devastatingly, to his former side Monaco.
