Arsenal and Chelsea will face off on Sunday afternoon in a top-of-the-table clash in the Premier League
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s
09:27, 30 Nov 2025
A tearful Emmanuel Petit of Arsenal post-match.
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Emmanuel Petit admits regret in his footballing career(Image: Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images)
Emmanuel Petit has expressed deep regret over his decision to leave Arsenal for Barcelona in 2000. The former midfielder later moved to Chelsea, but admits that he wished he had signed for Manchester United instead.
The red and blue sides of London are set to face off on Sunday afternoon in a crucial Premier League match. Table-toppers Arsenal are currently six points ahead of their city rivals, and a victory at Stamford Bridge would further solidify their league dominance.
On the other hand, Chelsea are gaining momentum after a 3-0 triumph over Barcelona in the Champions League and will aim to reduce the Gunners' lead to a mere three points. One individual who has experienced both sides of the divide is Petit, who joined Arsene Wenger in making the move from Monaco to north London in 1997.
During his time with the Gunners, Petit won both the Premier League and FA Cup in his debut season and subsequently became a World Cup champion with France. However, he left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2000 and now admits that he regrets leaving England for Spain.
While discussing Philippe Coutinho's 2018 transfer to Barcelona, Petit told the Mirror: "If I was Philippe Coutinho, every morning I would wake up and think to myself, 'Why, why, did I sign [for Barcelona] in Spain?'
"And do you know why I say this? Because, I can remember the time when I'd wake up, when I was at Barcelona, when I left Arsenal, and I was thinking the same way, 'Why did I leave? Why did I leave? Why did I leave?'"
Emmanuel Petit celebrates with Nicolas Anelka, Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars after scoring the fourth goal for Arsenal at Highbury.
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Petit won the Premier League in his debut season with the Gunners(Image: Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images)
Shortly after Petit's move to Barcelona, he found himself being tempted back to the Premier League, with Arsenal amongst several clubs keen on the midfielder. Discussing his choice not to rejoin the Gunners, he said: "When I was at Barcelona, they wanted me back at Arsenal, and it was tempting - I was close to returning to Arsenal.
"But at the end of the day, I was thinking 'Emmanuel, you need to be honest with yourself. If you left a year ago, it was for a reason.'"
Petit ultimately signed for Chelsea, where he spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge without securing any silverware. Speaking to FourFourTwo in 2023, the Frenchman admitted that whilst he hadn't wanted to return to Arsenal, he should have opted for a different Premier League heavyweight instead.
French midfielder Patrick Vieira (L) of Arsenal runs with the ball pursued by Chelsea's French Emmanuel Petit (R) during the Premier League match at Highbury in London 26 December 2001. Arsenal scored two second-half goals to win the game 2-1.
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The Frenchman joined Chelsea in 2001(Image: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Petit said: "I had many clubs interested in taking me back to England [in 2001]. Arsenal approached me but so did Manchester United. I spoke to Arsene. He really wanted me back, but I was honest with him. I said, 'I appreciate it and it's very tempting, but I didn't feel that you wanted me to stay when I signed for Barcelona a year ago.'
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"It's like divorcing somebody. When you don't feel desired by them, what's the point of going back? I should have gone to Manchester United, because Sir Alex Ferguson called me twice.
"We had a very good conversation and it was tempting, but once again I listened to my wife. She wanted to go back to London – she didn't want to live in Manchester – so I made the same mistake twice in one year."
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