'I played for Arsenal for 13 years and I didn't want to leave – but I had to go'
'I played for Arsenal for 13 years and I didn't want to leave – but I had to go'
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Nigel Winterburn has revealed why he felt he had to leave Arsenal despite 13 years of service. The now 61-year-old made 577 appearances at Highbury after arriving from Wimbledon in a £350,000 deal in 1987, lifting two First Division titles, a Premier League trophy, a pair of FA Cups, a League Cup and a European Cup Winners' Cup. Argued to be one of the best left-backs of his day, Winterburn stayed true to Arsenal until his 2000 transfer to West Ham United.
However, the north London legend has admitted that he didn't want to part ways with Arsenal. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football via William Hill, Winterburn was asked if he was ever tempted to move to another club during his Arsenal career. He responded: "I don't think so; no one let me know that I was supposed to be leaving. No, I don't think so. I came from Wimbledon to Arsenal, I think my first six months for me were probably the hardest. I'm joining a huge club from a team that's come up through the ranks.
"But it's still the same thing, and I say it all the time - when you're used to playing regularly to not playing, even though you're moving to, let's say, a better club, a bigger club with a huge history, I love the atmosphere of matchday. "So I found that very, very difficult for a long period of time, but once I started to break in - initially at right-back and occasionally at left-back - and then the following season, I was pretty much in full-time and I played most of the time if I was fit throughout my career at Arsenal, probably apart from the last six months.
