Christian Nørgaard has revealed he almost panicked when he learned Arsenal were calling for him this summer.
Ekstra Bladet have an interview with the midfielder today in which he discusses his surprise at his big move this year.
The 31-year-old was one of the more surprising moves this summer when he joined Arsenal in a €11.6m deal from Brentford.
He had been a key player for the Bees since joining them in a €3.5m deal in 2019. He made 196 appearances for the club, scoring 13 and assisting 18.
Few would have predicted, given his age, that Arsenal would have come calling. Particularly in a transfer window in which the club spent big on the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze.
Mikel Arteta, though, clearly sees a place for him in his squad and wrapped up a deal early in the summer, with the midfielder signing a deal until 2027. That includes an option for a further year at the Emirates as well.
Arsenal interest driven by Mikel Arteta
Like everyone else, Nørgaard didn’t see the move coming. And he’s more than willing to admit that as well.
“I first heard about Arsenal before our last match with Brentford against Wolverhampton,” he explained.
“I was actually sitting with a friend at home. My agent had called, and I thought ‘ang, it will have to wait until another time. Then he wrote if we could just talk – ‘Arsenal has called’.”
Nørgaard quickly got in touch with his agent when he learned of the interest, which he says Arteta drove.
“My friend also thinks it’s crazy,” he added.
“I said we should try to do everything we can. It’s simply too big an opportunity not to try and go for it. I was so settled with Brentford, where I had signed a two-year contract. It was a big surprise for me. I’m really happy.
“Older players aren’t paid that much money, but there was talk back and forth. It was a lot driven by Mikel Arteta. He thinks I had played really well against them and generally for Brentford. In terms of playing time, I knew exactly what role I was going for.”
