Celtic and Southampton wanted him when he was 16, claims Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, who can operate as a winger or as a forward, has been at Arsenal his entire professional club football career so far.
The Nigeria international is progressing well at the Gunners and is an important player in manager Unai Emery’s squad.
The 22-year-old has made nine starts and four substitute appearances in the Premier League for Arsenal so far this season, scoring one goal and providing two assists in the process, according to WhoScored.
The youngster, though, could have left Arsenal when he was just 16 years of age, as it looked like he would struggle to break into the North London club’s first team at the time.
Iwobi – who earns £30,000 per week as salary, according to Spotrac.com – has revealed that he was close to moving to Arsenal’s London rivals Crystal Palace, and has also disclosed that Southampton and Scottish giants Celtic wanted him.
The Sun quotes Iwobi as saying: “My situation was weird. There was three of us at the time and we were basically told ‘stay if you want, or if not you are free to go.’
“It was up to me and at that moment I went to the Crystal Palace training ground to see them. I had offers from Celtic and Southampton as well.
“Celtic was the main one but I wasn’t ready to go to Scotland. I thought it was best to stay at Arsenal but I have to say it felt weird.”
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