A one-time member of the midfield ranks at Premier League giants Arsenal has admitted that he never should have left the club in the first place. The player in question? Emmanuel Petit.
Ex-France international Petit is of course fondly remembered as one of the standout performers in the great Arsenal side of the late 90s. Petit combined with fellow countryman Patrick Vieira to form one of the standout midfield partnerships in all of English football, boasting technical and physical excellence in equal measure.
In turn, it came as a heavy blow for the Gunners when, in the summer of 2000, the now-53-year-old came to the decision to move on. At the peak of his powers, and with Arsenal building something special under the watch of Arsene Wenger, Petit opted to take his talents to Spain, with Barcelona.
Safe to say, however, that the Frenchman’s time in Catalunya’s capital did not work out as he would have hoped… All told, Petit’s Barca stint lasted just a solitary year, much of which he spent lining out in defence, rather than his preferred role in the middle of the park. The Normandy native, in turn, was shipped back to the Premier League with Chelsea in 2001.
Speaking during an appearance on talkSPORT on Thursday, it therefore came as little surprise when Petit looked back on his departure from Arsenal with a degree of regret.
Drawn on his decision to leave north London behind in favor of the Camp Nou, the midfielder explained:
“When I left Arsenal I joined one of the best clubs in the world [ Barcelona ] at that time for the same reason I wanted to win the Champions League. The only trophy I never won and it was a failure. Did I make the right choice? I’m not sure about that…”
Petit will always be fondly remembered in English football as something of a midfield giant. However, when it comes to his Arsenal stint, it is difficult not to look back and wonder just what might have been, if only he had stayed put a little longer.
