“I respect Arteta” – Player insists he has no regrets over rejecting Arsenal

Arsenal showed keen interest in signing Manuel Locatelli before he joined Juventus from Sassuolo in 2021.

The Serie A side initially took the midfielder on a two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy, which was exercised in 2023.

Locatelli has maintained his role as a starter at Juve, even after Thiago Motta’s arrival in the summer. He’s started in six matches this season, including one in the Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven last week.

Tuttosport have published a detailed interview with the 26-year-old, where he even talked about Arsenal’s interest.

The newspaper directly asked the Italy international whether he ever thinks about the Gunners’ approach. When responding to that, he praised Mikel Arteta.

“No, but since I love watching the games I also watch their’s and I respect their coach, Arteta,” he said.

Earlier this year, Sassuolo chairman Giovanni Carnevali had revealed Arsenal offered more money than the Old Lady club for Locatelli. However, he ended up accepting Juventus’ proposal due to personal preference.

Locatelli was linked with a move to the north London club in the summer window, but there was no concrete approach from Arsenal. His contract lasts until 2028, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the Gunners will return for him in the future.