New signing and lifelong Arsenal fan Carl Jenkinson was at Emirates Stadium watching from the stands last season. Next season he could be lining up in Arsène Wenger’s first team.
The versatile defender completed his move from Charlton Athletic on Wednesday and admits he can’t wait to join up with the squad for pre-season to stake his claim for a place in the team.
After putting pen to paper, Jenkinson spoke exclusively to Arsenal.com about how it feels to join the Club he has supported since he was a boy and his admiration Arsenal legend Tony Adams.
"It's amazing to have joined. Words can't really describe how it feels to be honest,” said the 19-year-old. “Being an Arsenal fan, it's an amazing thing for me and something that I am really excited about.
"My dad has been a season ticket holder for 40-odd years and has been going regularly since he was a kid.
“He brought me up as an Arsenal fan and I've been going since I was young. I even went to a few games last season. My whole family are all massive Arsenal fans.
"I was always a big fan of Tony Adams and I'm reading his book at the moment. He was always someone I looked at as a great leader. He is a player I can learn a lot from and I will be looking to follow in his footsteps.”
Subscribers/Members can now watch the full interview with Carl ‘on demand’ on Arsenal Player.
He also discusses:
- what attracted him to Arsenal
- what the Arsenal fans can expect from him
- what positions he can play in
- his time at Charlton Athletic
- why he represents Finland
- joining up with the first team for pre-season
- his assessment of Arsenal's season
- his plans for the summer