New Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden has revealed that he left Arsenal against the wishes of manager Arsene Wenger.
Hayden joined the Gunners as a thirteen year-old, moving from Southend United, and progressed through the ranks to make his first-team debut in 2013 in the League Cup.
The 21 year-old made only two outings for the senior team in cup competitions, and despite making the Arsenal bench on two occasions, is yet to feature in a Premier League match, which likely played a big part in his exit.
Hayden joined Newcastle in July this year, and has revealed that he left despite his coach Arsene Wenger wanting him to stay. “Arsene Wenger wanted to keep me, but I knew the time was right to move on and I knew this was the club for me,” Hayden said.
“It ticked all the right boxes, the fans, the manager, the infrastructure, the players already here and, of course, the film.
“Everything drew me towards this football club, and I am really excited about the future.
“This season is about me progressing as an individual and the team moving up the table and winning promotion at the end of the season.”
You can hardly blame Hayden for wanting to leave the club having had little influence on the first-team, but for Wenger to want him to stay, he must have seen some potential remaining in the midfielder.
We are obviously well charged in the area of the pitch he would have preferred to play in, and as much as he left against the club’s wishes, I hope he does well in the Championship with Newcastle.
Should Hayden have waited for a chance under Arsenal? Is this going to be another sale of a youngster that we will regret?
Pat J