Super Eagles defender, Semi Ajayi, has shed light on his departure from Arsenal after spending two years at the North London club.
Ajayi started his career at Charlton Athletic, coming through the ranks before he was offered his first professional contract in 2012.
The 26-year-old caught the eye of premier league giants, Arsenal with his exceptional performances. He joined the Gunners Academy on a two-year deal after impressing as a trialist in September 2013.
The West Brom defender failed to make any official appearance for the first team before he was sent out on loan to Cardiff City in 2015.
Ajayi made his loan move permanent at the Welsh club when Arsenal failed to renew his contract.
Since leaving Arsenal, he has enjoyed a steady rise in his career playing for the likes of Rotherham United and West Brom.
He was named as the Away player of the season at Rotherham. He also won the EFL player of the month award for March 2019 before joining West Brom in July 2019.
Ajayi, who made his Super Eagles debut against Seychelles in the 2019 Nations Cup qualifiers, singled out former Arsenal captain, Per Mertesacker, for praise after for playing a role in his development as a defender.
” I learned a lot while I was there, so I always look back on the two years, Ajayi told Super Eagles media team on Instagram.
“Training with these guys every day was great because I could go up against some of the best players in the country and around the world.”
“Per Mertesacker took a lot of time out to teach me the art of defending and give me some wisdom that he’s picked along the way and shared with me, and I was really grateful for that.
“I did hope to one day break into the first team, but everyone’s path is different, sometimes you have to take two steps back to take three steps forward.
“The things that I learned while I was there would serve me for the rest of my career,” Ajayi told Super Eagles media team.
Ajayi has been impressive for West Brom this season in the Championship as the Baggies eye promotion to the premier league.
