After almost six years at the club of his life, Carl Jenkinson very nearly cut the ties with Arsenal for good last month to leave for pastures new on a permanent deal, which for this boyhood fan from Essex was not a decision he would have taken lightly.

The reason he presents himself for interview, having requested the chance to speak is, in his words, to clarify the details around his proposed move to Crystal Palace which fell down at the end of the transfer window. Jenkinson, who turned 25 this week, wants to play every week, even if it means leaving Arsenal, but the reasons why he did not go are more complex than might have been suggested.

“You ask any footballer and we just love to play,” Jenkinson says. “Getting to January, I knew that I was not going to play so I was certainly open to something new and playing more regularly. I played regularly for two years [at West Ham] and in the main I felt I flourished.

“I wanted to clear up some of the things that came out since the move didn’t happen, which were false with regard to the supposed excessive demands for the move to go through. I took it quite personally. I tend to keep away from the papers and what’s written … but when I was seeing certain things, I take it personally.”