LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 12: Kim Kallstrom of Arsenal celebrates scoring in the penalty shoot during the FA Cup Semi-Final match between Wigan Athletic and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on April 12, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Kim Källström: I see the fans who joke about me online

Apr 12, 2020

Kim Källström sees the Arsenal fans who joke about his time with the club online, but he still looks back on the whole situation fondly.

Kim Kallstrom in a press conference (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP / GettyImages)

Speaking to the Arsenal website this week, Källström admitted he knows how the fans talk about his loan spell.

“I see the fans who joke on the internet about my time here, but I think it’s quite fun,” Källström said.

“There are a lot of players who have done a lot more for Arsenal than me but then at the same time, there are a lot of players who have done a lot less, in a lot more time! Here, I walked in, hit the penalty, we won a trophy and then I walked out again.

“It’s OK, I can laugh about it now! Because my time at Arsenal was very special for me and even though it was very short, I see it as a couple of months of great fun.

“It’s a time that really made my career a little better, a little funnier and it’s given me some great stories to tell. I met some great people, worked for a great coach and got to play for an incredible club.”

The story of Källström’s loan

Källström joined the club in January 2014, but an injury prevented him from making an appearance in the squad until mid-March.

By that stage, Arsenal were already out of the title race. Heavy defeats to Liverpool and Chelsea – as well as dropped points against Manchester United and Stoke City – saw to that.

Källström made a solid debut substitute appearance against Swansea, but Mathieu Flamini scored an own goal to ensure it ended in another draw. Then came the loanee’s best week at the club.

Thrown into the FA Cup semi-final squad against Wigan as cover for injuries, Källström ended up making it onto the pitch for the final seven minutes of extra time. He scored in the penalty shootout and helped his team progress to the final.

After that, Källström earned his first Premier League start. He played the full 90 minutes as Arsenal won 3-1 against West Ham, allowing 2013/14 hero Aaron Ramsey a chance to rest.

Ramsey came back into the team after that, and Källström only got a further 27 minutes in the final month of the season. Those minutes came off the bench in another win over West Brom. The Swedish international ended his Arsenal career unbeaten.

So, not the most impactful spell ever. At the same time, if he hadn’t taken that penalty, and if he hadn’t allowed the hugely-influential-but-still-injury-prone Ramsey to rest three days later, maybe the season wouldn’t have ended with a trophy.