Ismael Bennacer, the former Arsenal prodigy, once had the opportunity to join Manchester City but declined due to an unusual reason – he simply didn’t get the right vibe from the club.
In a chat with Instant Foot, he reminisced about the time in 2015 when both Arsenal and Man City were vying for his signature.
The now 26-year-old Algerian ace revealed: “(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.”
Opting instead for Arsenal, Bennacer found himself on a different path as he only featured once for the Gunners before being loaned out to Tours FC in France come January 2017. A permanent move to Empoli followed six months later, marking the start of a successful stint in Italy that saw him clinch the Serie B title and later the Serie A crown with AC Milan in May 2022.
Reflecting on his initial visit to City, Bennacer was struck by the state-of-the-art facilities and even had a conversation with Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, who was managing the academy at the time. He recalled: “Their facilities were crazy. Amazing. I spoke with Vieira and everything.
“I liked the talk we had, but the fact they wanted me at the academy, to sleep there… I wanted a flat. I wanted my sister to come with me. That’s why I dropped City. Then there was Arsenal towards the end of July.”
Bennacer could have made a return to the Gunners last year – however, an untimely knee injury derailed any potential transfer discussions.
The AC Milan midfielder, whose contract runs until 2027, played a crucial part in Algeria’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2019 and was named Player of the Tournament for his spectacular performances in Egypt.
As a former Arsenal talent, Bennacer has earned an impressive 48 senior international caps for Algeria, finding the back of the net twice.
