Alongside Olivier Giroud, Carl Jenkinson says ‘unreal’ defender was among the best he played with at Arsenal

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Ex-Arsenal fullback Carl Jenkinson has been reflecting on his time at the Gunners, following his exit from Newcastle Jets in Australia.

Cark Jenkinson arrived at the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2011, after a breakthrough campaign with boyhood club Charlton Athletic.

Whilst never commanding a regular place in Arsene Wenger’s side, Jenkinson provided useful defensive cover in his eight-year spell at Arsenal.

A boyhood Gunners fan, Jenkinson experienced loans with West Ham United and Birmingham City before joining Nottingham Forest in 2019.

He continued to feature irregularly at Forest, before embarking on an Australian adventure with Melbourne City and The Jets most recently.

But after ending his time down under, Jenkinson has taken to the media to discuss his time at Arsenal, including naming some of his best teammates at the club.

Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud among Carl Jenkinson’s best Arsenal teammates

In an appearance on talkSPORT, Jenkinson revealed that fellow defender Per Mertesacker was one star that impressed him the most at Arsenal.

On Mertesacker, he said: “He was unreal. He kind of didn’t need his pace because he read the game so well. I think he had a lot of good years at Arsenal.”

Further up the pitch, Jenkinson picked out Olivier Giroud as the best striker he played with at Arsenal. He said: “I always loved playing with Olivier Giroud, I think he’s so underrated. He always scored goals everywhere he’s gone. He often got quite a bit of stick at Arsenal even when he always scored goals!”

He continued: “He was great to play with, especially as a fullback because if you whipped balls into the box you’d know he’d get on the end them.”

In an era that lacked the title pushes Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side provide today, Jenkinson was still surrounded by some truly talented players.

Even without becoming a regular in the team, Jenkinson did help to create some lasting memories for Arsenal fans.

Jenkinson’s most memorable season at Arsenal

With Bacary Sagna filling in at centre-back due to injuries, Jenkinson began the 2013/14 season as Arsenal’s first-choice right-back.

He started in the Gunners’ 1-0 victory against rivals Tottenham and provided an assist for Aaron Ramsay the following week against Sunderland.

Jenkinson even impressed as Arsenal defeated Turkish giants Fenerbahce to qualify for the Champions League group stage.

Whilst he did eventually lose his first-team spot, starts in FA Cup victories against Coventry and Liverpool helped Arsenal lift the trophy at the end of the season, their first piece of silverware since 2005.

Jenkinson was never a regular at the club, but Arsenal fans can look back fondly on his time at the club. A Gunner himself, he played a significant part in ending the club’s trophy drought, therefore etching himself into Arsenal folklore forevermore.