London: England forward Danny Welbeck risked antagonising supporters of his former club Manchester United on Wednesday after admitting that he “envisaged” playing for Arsenal even before joining them.
A Manchester-born United fan, Welbeck graduated through the youth ranks at Old Trafford but was allowed to join Arsenal on Monday for a fee of around £16 million (Dh96.8 million).
“It’s exciting times for me. It’s great to be a part of this club and it’s a team that I’ve always watched in the Premier League,” Welbeck told the Arsenal website.
“I’ve envisaged myself playing in this team before. For it to finally happen is very exciting.”
Figures associated with United have expressed dismay over the club’s decision to sell a young home-grown player such as Welbeck.
Former United midfielder David Beckham said that he was “sad” to see Welbeck leave, while Mike Phelan, the former assistant manager to Alex Ferguson, claimed the club’s identity had been “broken”.
But Welbeck, 23, faced increased competition for places after United signed Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco on transfer deadline day and he said that joining Arsenal was the right move for his career.
“Things move on in life and I think you’ve really got to make the right decision in the situation that you’re in at that moment in time,” he said. “I really do believe that coming to Arsenal is the right decision.
“I’ve been at United ever since I was a little boy and I had a great time there. I just think this is the next stage of my development — to come to Arsenal, to really show people what I can do as a footballer, and hopefully get to the place where I want to be.”
Welbeck was afforded rare opportunities to play at centre-forward for United, but with Olivier Giroud currently sidelined by a broken tibia, he hopes to be given a chance to prove himself as a goal-scorer at Arsenal.
“At Arsenal, we’re not short of combination football and I like to join in on that and get in behind defenders and try to get shots off at goal,” he said.
“I want to score some goals and help the team to achieve the right results.”
Meanwhile, French winger Hatem Ben Arfa has expressed thanks to fans of Newcastle United following his loan move to Hull City in an open letter published on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old France international joined Hull on a season-long loan on Monday and with only one year remaining on his Newcastle contract, he appears to have played his final game for the club.
Ben Arfa left St James’ Park after falling out with Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, but his occasional virtuoso performances meant that he remained a popular figure with the club’s fans.
“To the Toon Army, I want to pass on my thanks to all the fans that supported me during my time at the club and living in a city that will be forever in my heart,” he wrote in the letter, which was published in local newspaper the Evening Chronicle.
“Thank you also to everyone at NUFC and to Hull for making this loan happen. I wish Newcastle the best of luck. I hope they have a good season.
“I can’t wait to launch my career again with Hull and [manager] Steve Bruce. I thank him for the trust he has shown in bringing me to this club.”
Ben Arfa signed off the letter with “Howay the lads”, a term of encouragement used by Newcastle fans.
Ben Arfa has not played yet this season after being forced to train apart from Newcastle’s senior squad during pre-season. He could make his Hull debut when they host West Ham United in the Premier League on September 15.
