A highly-rated winger, who turned down interest from Arsenal and Manchester City, has explained why he chose to continue his development at Wolverhampton Wanderers instead.
Josh Esen, now 21, joined Wolves in 2021 after emerging from the academy at Llanelli Town, despite approaches from several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Manchester City, and Fulham.
Speaking to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, Esen said his decision was driven by pragmatism rather than anything else.
“Wolverhampton was the closest club to me in terms of location,” he said, when asked why he had opted for Wolves over the likes of Arsenal. “As an academy, they constantly take care of players and give them opportunities. This is very important.
“Other clubs have very large pools of young players. They mostly prefer the loan method. I wanted a place where I could stay and show myself.”
The winger progressed quickly after his move, playing for Wolves’ under-18s before stepping up to the under-21 side. His form also brought international interest. Esen received an invitation from Wales Under-21s and was included in a senior training camp in Portugal, but he ultimately declined the opportunity.
His ambition, he said, lies elsewhere.
“Gökhan Gönül invited me when he was in charge of the [Turkish] U21 National Team. However, I couldn’t participate because of a problem with my Turkish citizenship, which we are still trying to resolve.
“But my dream is to wear the Turkish A National Team jersey and I am working towards that.”