Carl Jenkinson said in February that he would leave Arsenal in the summer if he wasn’t playing, and given the lack of first-team activity since, will he make good on his promise?

  • Jenkinson made promise in Telegraph interview in February
  • It came after a move to Crystal Palace in January fell through

In an interview with The Telegraph back in February, Jenkinson said he would leave Arsenal in the summer should he not receive playing time. He was adamant that he would not see out his contract.

The promise made after a move to Crystal Palace in January fell through due to a culmination of factors. The player was keen to clear up the perception that he had asked for too much money.

“It’s a culmination of things,” he said. “When you do leave a club like Arsenal, everything needs to be right. It needs to be the right manager and financially – don’t get me wrong, I don’t want silly money – it needs to be right for me.”

“Maybe I won’t get that much football now [until the end of the season] but I’ve still got a 3½-year contract, I’m at Arsenal, played for Arsenal for a number of years. They are not pushing me out of the door but I also know I need to play football.”

His contract reportedly expires in 2018 and the player could yet sit on it should the right offer not arrive this summer.

Jenkinson has a great love for the club and is understandably reluctant to leave. However, injuries and the rise of Hector Bellerin have seen his first team opportunity dwindle considerably. Unless there’s an injury crisis, Jenkinson is unlikely to play many games should he stay.