I joined Arsenal because Man City wouldn't give me a flat after Patrick Vieira chat

Former Arsenal youngster Ismael Bennacer once had the chance to join Manchester City, but he turned it down for an extraordinary reason — he did not get a good vibe from the club. Speaking with Instant Foot, he recalled the time when both Arsenal and Man City wanted to sign him in 2015.

The 26-year-old Algeria superstar said: "(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."

Instead, Bennacer decided to commit to Arsenal, who successfully won the transfer race for his services. But things did not go according to plan in England, as he only made one appearance before being sent on loan to Tours in France in January 2017.

Bennacer eventually signed a permanent deal with Italian side Empoli six months later. Since then, his career has been on an upward trajectory, winning the Serie B title in his first season in Italy and later lifting the Serie A title with AC Milan in May 2022.

Bennacer remembers being amazed at City's world-class facilities on his first visit, and chatting with Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, who was then the academy chief. The midfielder said: «Their facilities were crazy. Amazing. I spoke with Vieira and everything.»

Despite the positive meeting, Bennacer opted against signing for the club. He said: «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.»

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