Legendary Arsenal star Petit revealed the behind-the-scenes story of his 2001 transfer from Barcelona to Chelsea in detail for the first time in a recent interview. The transfer not only involved personal lobbying from former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, but also multiple phone invitations from legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Petit revealed that he was in Barcelona at the time but things were not going as well there. He recalled, "Before joining Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson called me twice, knowing that I wasn't having a good time in Barcelona, and we discussed United's plans and vision in depth." However, apart from United's offer, Arsenal's Coach Arsene Wenger also expressed his concern for him, asking him over the phone how he was doing.
But it was Chelsea's Ranieri who really made Petit's decision. He recalls, "Ranieri came to me personally and we had lunch together. His sincerity and friendliness made me feel Chelsea's sincerity deeply, and he convinced me that Chelsea was the best choice for the next stop in my career. In the end, I chose Chelsea."
Although Sir Alex Ferguson remained undeterred by Petit's decision to join Chelsea, even calling again to retain him a few weeks after his arrival, Petit had already made up his mind: "Sir Alex Ferguson did call again, but by then I had already made my direction clear."
Petit started his career at Monaco where he won the Ligue 1 title. He was then snapped up by Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and became associated with the Highbury Stadium. During his three years at Arsenal, he formed a fearsome midfield duo with Oviemas and won several honors with the team, including the 1997-98 double. However, he moved to Barcelona in the summer of 2000 and did not find happiness there: "My year at Barcelona didn't go well, there was discord in the dressing room between the Catalan and Dutch players and the manager at the time failed to take effective control of the team."
Now, recalling the past, Petit is overflowing with gratitude to Ranieri: "Coach Ranieri's sincerity and vision allowed me to see the future of Chelsea, and I'm glad I made the right choice."
