Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has detailed his move to the club and the ‘adventure’ it was at the time.
The Greek defender is currently out on loan with German side Stuttgart, where he’s been impressing and getting the first-team football that wasn’t on offer at the Emirates.
He joined the Gunners for just under £2m from PAS Giannina in 2018 as part of Sven Mislintat’s efforts to bring more youth to the squad.
He was thrown into the first-team picture by Arsene Wenger at the end of that season, making his debut in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United and then picking up more minutes against the likes of Burnley and Leicester.
It was a far cry from what he’d experienced beforehand, something he’s now alluded to in an interview with Goal Germany.
“Oh man, that was a crazy day,” he said.
“I still remember exactly. Before that, I had a very good six months in Greece for my club PAS Ioannina and on New Year’s Eve I got the call that Arsenal wanted to sign me.
“It was an adventure for me. It was my first time away from my home country of Greece, and then immediately at such a big club in a cosmopolitan city like London,” he told the website.
“That was a big difference. Suddenly you’re sitting in the dressing room next to stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who you only knew from TV before.”
Mavropanos would only make eight appearances for Arsenal before being shipped out on loan in recent years.
He’s spent the last two with Stuttgart, reuniting with Mislintat at the club in a deal that’s worked out very well for all concerned.
He’s been a regular for the club, helping them seal promotion back to the Bundesliga last season and then fight against relegation this year, with them currently 15th in the table.
His performances have been earning him plenty of rave reviews and admirers, with Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle and West Ham all named as suitors today.
The experience and playing time is exactly what he left Arsenal for, although it seems none are yet to top that debut at Manchester United.
“I’ll never forget my debut. That was at Old Trafford against Man United, and I got to face Romelu Lukaku,” he added.
“To this day, I haven’t had to play against a better striker. We did play Bayern and Dortmund in the Bundesliga with VfB, but I never had a personal matchup with Robert Lewandowski or Erling Haaland.
“That’s why I have to say that Lukaku has been my toughest opponent so far. His physique is very impressive, and he’s so good technically that it’s really hard to stop him.”
