Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli insists he has no regrets about turning down a transfer to Arsenal in the summer of 2021, but admits to watching their games anyway.
Locatelli was one of the standout stars at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament, helping Italy claim a first trophy since 2006 and their first European Championship win since 1968.
Playing his club football at modest Sassuolo at the time, he was then the subject of a summer transfer saga in which Arsenal battled Juventus for his signature.
Locatelli was so determined to join Juve that he rejected the advances of the Gunners, even though he and Sassuolo stood to earn more by striking a deal with the Premier League side.
In the years since, Juventus and Arsenal have been on different trajectories. Juve have seen their stranglehold on Serie A dissolve, while the Gunners have run Manchester City all the way to the finish line in the Premier League title race as they seek a first league triumph since 2004.
Asked if he has any regrets about his 2021 decision, Locatelli told Tuttosport: “No, but since I love watching the games I also watch theirs and I respect their coach, [Mikel] Arteta.”
Reflecting on the transfer, Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali has since suggested that he worked to give Locatelli what he wanted rather than what was necessarily most lucrative for the club.
“For example, Locatelli absolutely wanted to go to Juventus, we satisfied him even though we gave up the financial aspect because there was interest from another club, Arsenal,” he said.
“The economic side of a transfer is important, but not decisive.”
Arsenal already had Thomas Partey at the time, while Martin Odegaard’s loan was in the process of being made permanent. But the club has since recruited Jorginho, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino.
