Former Arsenal youngster David Bentley has lifted the lid on his decision to leave the North London club back in January 2006 at the age of just 21-years-old.
The midfielder, who eventually made a name for himself in the white corner of North London, joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2008, spent nine years at Highbury - the Gunners' former home - before sealing a permanent move to Blackburn Rovers in January 2006 after a successful loan spell at Ewood Park.
Though Arsenal had not lifted the Premier League title since 2004, they were still considered as a genuine title contender back then and Bentley saw that as a roadblock in his attempts to progress to the next stage of his career, with him, at that point, starting to try and establish himself as a Premier League player.
Ultimately, the former Birmingham City and West Ham United loanee made the decision to leave the Gunners, with former manager Arsene Wenger's philosophy playing a key part in his decision.
The Gunners, at the time, had a plethora of foreign stars on their books, with homegrown talent in short supply, though Bentley has admitted that Wenger was beginning to take notice of the stars emerging from the club's academy.
“He did, he did [value those things, youth players],” Bentley told The Athletic. "But at that time, English players weren’t playing that much and I think mentally, he thought they weren’t the right fit.
“But in the years after I left, the philosophy changed and that team with so many great players in front of me was dismantled. When I left, the young lads came in. So yeah, it was just timing, even though there was a backlash when I left.
“There was one article that said I left for money and I didn’t get on with the Arsenal fans. I was like, ‘I haven’t left because I don’t like you’. It was strange. I didn’t want to go but I had to for my career.
“And I’ve spoken to Wenger since. When I played for England against France, he was really nice and complimentary. I always got on with him and he was a brilliant coach.
“But at that time, I was looking around and saying to myself, ‘You have to fight’, so I went to Blackburn and fought my way in.”
Bentley went onto enjoy a fairly stable career at premier League level, enjoying plenty of success with both Blackburn and Spurs.
But he made the decision to retire back in June 2014, aged just 29, after being without a club for over a year.
Since hanging up his boots, he has not pursued a career in coaching.
