After completing his loan move to Birmingham City, Arsenal defender Cohen Bramall has said it’s time to stop dreaming and start working.
Cohen has been speaking to the Birmingham Mail about his move to the Championship club.
He started by stating that there’s no denying how massive the move to Arsenal was for him, saying that signing: “was a dream come true and I’ll never forget it, but the dream’s over now.
“This is it and I’m playing men’s football in a massive league and there’s no messing now, I’ve got to get my head down and work hard. I don’t pinch myself anymore. I said to everyone that when I make my first team debut at Arsenal it will stop then.
“I couldn’t believe it when I signed and it was the best thing that ever happened, but I said to myself that when I make my first team debut you know it’s hit you then and I need to get on with it.
“I think everyone needs to forget about me being some kid who came from non-league, I’m in the game now and I need to take it seriously.”
It was certainly a fairytale series of events for Bramall when he went from the car factory to the Arsenal training ground in the space of a month. But he’s right to point out that he can’t ride on the coattails of that story forever.
If he wants to really make a name for himself then he has to make the next step. Jamie Vardy made the move from non-league to the Premier League and still didn’t too many heads. Then he was Leicester’s top scorer as they won the title and suddenly there was talk of movie deals and big-money moves – he turned down Arsenal last summer.
As for the 21-year-old, he now has the opportunity to make a move in a similar direction. Although he won’t be winning the Premier League this season, a positive loan spell could put him in the frame for first-team action with the Gunners.