Ismaël Bennacer, currently a key player at AC Milan, delves into his past decision-making process, notably his opting for Arsenal over Manchester City.

Ismaël Bennacer, now at AC Milan, once faced a decision between joining Manchester City and Arsenal during his time at Arles-Avignon in France.

Reflecting on this choice in an interview with Instant Foot, as reported by La Gazette du Fennec, Bennacer shared his experience of being approached by Manchester City.

He recalled, “[Manchester City] called me and told me ‘we want you to be with the reserves’ and everything. It’s City, man. I was ready. They told me ‘come see the facilities’, so I did. I got there, I don’t know, I wasn’t feeling it.”

Despite being impressed by Manchester City’s facilities and having a conversation with Patrick Vieira, Bennacer was deterred by the club’s proposal for him to stay in the academy.

He wanted a flat and wished for his sister to accompany him, leading him to decline City’s offer. “That’s why I dropped City. Then there was Arsenal towards the end of July,” he said.

Bennacer eventually moved to Arsenal, where his requirements, including accommodation, were met.

He spent two years at Arsenal, including a six-month loan to Tours, before being sold to Empoli for €1m.

There, his career flourished, culminating in a €19.2m transfer to AC Milan in 2019, where he remains to this date, signing a new contract at the start of 2023.

He has made 150 appearances for AC Milan at the time of writing, scoring six and assisting 10.

Bennacer since been linked with a move to Manchester City again, with Pep Guardiola reportedly being a fan of his skills.

He has also been heavily linked with a return to Arsenal but all rumours of a move have died down in the last 12 months after his last renewal.