'No': £30m star says he has absolutely no regrets over snubbing Arsenal move

Arsenal was a very different club in a very different position when they were turned down by a £30 million target during the summer of 2021.

The Gunners had finished eighth that previous season.

Manager Mikel Arteta was still a novice in coaching terms. Yet to convince the Arsenal supporters that he could make the transition from assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City to head honcho at the Emirates.

And had Manuel Locatelli opted to move to England instead of Juventus, that summer’s European Championship winner would have joined a team containing Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette, Nuno Tavares and Rob Holding.

Italy international Locatelli could surely not have imagined the different directions Arsenal and Juventus would go in over the next three seasons.

While Arsenal emerged as the greatest challengers to Man City’s throne, Locatelli is yet to taste Serie A success at Juventus. The Bianconeri have finished fourth, seventh and third in his three seasons, their remarkable run of nine successive Scudettos very much a distant memory these days.

Manuel Locatelli does not regret snubbing Arsenal for Juventus

Locatelli’s lifelong connection to Juventus was a major factor behind that Arsenal snub.

Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali admits that Arsenal offered more money but Locatelli could not be denied his Juventus dream.

Formerly of AC Milan and then of Sassuolo, the deep-lying playmaker – Locatelli has been likened to Arsenal’s own Jorginho – could not turn down the chance to fulfil a boyhood dream and pull on those famous black and white stripes.

But, knowing what he knows now, is that a decision he regrets?

“No,” Locatelli told Tuttosport when asked if he could turn back the clock on join Arsenal instead. “But I love watching [The Gunners’] football. I like watching their games.

“And I respect their coach, Arteta.”

One of the stars of Italy’s Euro triumph in 2021, Locatelli struggled to recapture the form of that summer at the Allianz Stadium however. So much so that he has only featured eight times for the Azzurri since the beginning of 2022.

It is not hard to imagine that, under Arteta, Locatelli would have continued to blossom into one of the finest technicians in the game.

At least, with Juventus boasting a bold, ambitious young coach of their own these days in Thiago Motta, things are looking up not only for Locatelli but for the entirety of the Bianconeri squad. An elite developer of talent, Motta coached Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori at Bologna last season.

“I have matured a lot, as a person and a player. In these three years, I had to be more consistent,” adds Locatelli. “I am always the first to question myself, so I have another year to improve. I am here every day for this.

“[Motta brings] a different methodology. We work more on high intensity. However, in the end, only one thing matters here.

“Winning.”

Jamie Carragher thinks Arsenal and Man City are equals for the title

That, of course, is the ambition at Arsenal these days too. After finishing as runners-up to Man City in each of the last two seasons, the perennial bridesmaid’s are determined to catch the bouquet and walk down the aisle themselves in 2025.

Arsenal gave City an almighty scare last week, holding out until John Stones broke their resolve in the 98th minute.

A season-ending injury picked up by the influential Rodri earlier on in that very same game, meanwhile, could shift the momentum in The Gunners’ favour.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher thinks Arsenal and Man City are now equals, though former Man United captain Roy Keane is still backing those in sky blue.

“I would say [after the Rodri injury, the title race is] 50/50 now,” Carragher says.

“I’m still sticking with City,” replies Keane. “But it’s a huge loss.”