'All my life': £70m player Mikel Arteta wants to sign says he's always been an Arsenal fan
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A number of players in world football have admitted to being boyhood Arsenal fans.
Pedro Neto has admitted that he supported Arsenal as a youngster, while Tammy Abraham is another famous player who supported Arsenal as a kid.
Speaking to The Athletic, Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo has made a similar admission.
Bournemouth face Arsenal on Saturday evening, and Semenyo will be heading into this game with some mixed feelings
The winger says that he did grow up as an Arsenal supporter, but he doesn't carry that emotion into games when he faces Arsenal and he actually relishes the opportunity to play against the top teams.
Interestingly, this comes just weeks after Semenyo was linked with a move to Arsenal.
Antoine Semenyo is an Arsenal fan
Semenyo was very honest about his love for Arsenal.
The winger stated that he is an Gooner, and he says he would eventually like to sign for a team of that calibre that is playing in Europe.
"I am an Arsenal fan," Semenyo said.
"I don't conflict the two with my job. It is great to play against Arsenal, a team I have watched all my life and I want to play for the top clubs as well. In order for that to happen I need to prove it."
Semenyo was then asked if he'd like to sign for a team like Arsenal.
"Yeah, any team that plays Champions League, Europa (League) — that's the aim. I know that's not going to come with a click of my fingers, it's going to take some time. It's going to take goals. It's going to take a lot of consistent performances. But I've worked all my life for that and I'm just going to continue working hard. That's my mentality," Semenyo said.
How Mikel Arteta feels about Semenyo
It's interesting that the Bournemouth star says he's an Arsenal supporter because, Mikel Arteta is said to be a big fan Semenyo.
Arsenal have been linked with a £70m move for Semenyo, but they're not the only team keen on the Bournemouth ace.
Newcastle are also said to be fans of Semenyo, while Tottenham have been credited with an interest in the attacker.
Of course, Semenyo may not be too keen on a move to Spurs, but, that said, Dominic Solanke was a self-confessed Arsenal fan, and he's just made a big-money move to Tottenham.
Semenyo has the chance to put himself in the shop window this weekend against Arsenal, and who knows? Perhaps he could convince the Gunners to make a move for him with a good showing.
