With the transfer window closed, Arsenal fans can turn off their David Ornstein X notifications for the time being.
The Athletic’s chief football correspondent has had another busy summer of breaking transfer news, with the Gunners, as always, at the heart of it.
Ornstein was there in July to break the story of Riccardo Calafiori joining Arsenal from Bologna and remained in the loop on deadline day to confirm Raheem Sterling’s loan move to the Emirates.
The journalist even remained busy beyond the deadline when he reported on Al Ittihad’s offer for Leandro Trossard, a bid that was swiftly rejected by Mikel Arteta’s side.
For both Ornstein and anxious Arsenal fans, there should now be a chance for a break from transfer speculation and a return to focus on matters on the pitch.
This break has given Ornstein a chance to reflect on his career up until now, with the writer revealing that an unexpected Arsenal story is his biggest exclusive to date.
David Ornstein shocks Paul Scholes about Mesut Ozil contract renewal
Speaking on The Overlap’s transfer window fan debate, Ornstein discussed the ‘biggest-ever’ stories of his career, claiming that Mesut Ozil’s contract renewal at Arsenal tops the list.
Upon being asked by Jamie Carragher, Ornstein said: “It sounds arrogant because there’s quite a lot of options, I don’t mean it to come across that way!
“I really liked the story that Mesut Ozil had signed a new contract at Arsenal. I had the details of the contract and the duration, it was the big story at the time because Ozil and Alexis Sanchez were both out of contract in the summer.”
Expecting a salacious story about one of the football world’s record transfers, co-host Paul Scholes was clearly disappointed with Ornstein’s answer, demanding: “You must have better than that!”
The journalist went on to discuss breaking stories such as Robin van Persie’s move to Scholes’ Manchester United and Jurgen Klopp’s contract extension at Liverpool, but the surprising choice of the Ozil scoop remained at the top of his list.
David Ornstein’s career-long connection with Arsenal
Ornstein continued to talk about Arsenal throughout the debate, revealing that the club played a key role in the early stages of his writing career.
He said: “One of my many pieces of work experience in university was being able to write for the Arsenal Monthly magazine. You applied for all the opportunities and they got back to me!
“It was a guy called Andy Exley who I think is still involved with the matchday programme as well.”
The writer even played a part in one of the biggest days in Arsenal’s history. He explained: “I had a little bit in the matchday programme for the final match at Highbury against Wigan.”
Arsenal fans are indebted to Ornstein for his consistency and reliability when it comes to news about their club, but it turns out that the journalist has just as much to thank Arsenal for in his journey to the top of football media.
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