AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer has discussed his time at the Emirates.
"Finally, in September [2015], I got some time on the pitch, but I was thrown on after two other injuries against Sheffield [Wednesday], played wide left in a trident attack, which I had never done before," he told Sportweek as relayed by Football Italia.
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"I felt incredible pressure and wasn’t sure what was going on. I never played again [for Arsenal] after that, but I have no regrets, as I still got to train with important players like Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla.
"I had four years left on the Arsenal contract, but I had to be at a club where they really wanted me.
"I didn’t know Empoli, but I accepted a move down from the Premier League to Serie B because they were the club who wanted me the most."
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott suffered injuries in a space of several minutes and Bennacer had to play in Theo's role. Arsenal lost the game 3-0.
The Algerian spent two more years at the club and was eventually shipped off to Serie B side Empoli in 2017. Two years after, he would join AC Milan for a reported fee of €16m and become one of the best players in the ever-struggling Rossoneri side.
Former Arsenal chairman Ivan Gazidis, currently employed by the Serie A side, thinks that Ismael will become a world-beater in the future.
The Algeria international's natural position is that of a central midfielder as he excels at both defensive and offensive duties. A good ball carrier with brilliant vision, he could perhaps become one of Arsenal's best Muslim players had he stayed at the Emirates.
Do you think Arsenal should have kept Bennacer?
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