Locatelli speaks on his decision to pick Juventus over Arsenal

Italian star player Locatelli has opened up on his decision to pick the ‘Old Lady’ Juventus over Arteta’s Arsenal in a recent interview.

Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli has explained his decision to join the Italian club instead of moving to Arsenal.

The Italian international was linked to a transfer to the Premier League side multiple times, but the move never materialized. In 2021, Locatelli opted to join Juventus on a two-year loan from Sassuolo, which lasted until 2023.

Following the loan spell, Juventus made Locatelli’s move to the Allianz Stadium permanent, paying a transfer fee of €35 million.

Reflecting on his choice, Locatelli expressed no regrets about joining Juventus over Arsenal. According to Fabrizio Romano via Tuttosport, he stated, “I have no regrets for joining Juventus instead of Arsenal. But I do enjoy watching their games and have a lot of respect for their coach, Mikel Arteta.”

Locatelli has settled in well at Juventus, making 138 appearances for the club, during which he scored four goals and provided 13 assists.

As for Arsenal, they have moved on from missing out on Locatelli by signing Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad for an initial fee of £27.4 million, with an additional £4.2 million in potential add-ons. However, Merino has yet to make his debut for Mikel Arteta’s team this season due to an injury he sustained during his first training session.