Carl Jenkinson: 'Crystal Palace deal wasn't right for me'

By Darren Plant, Senior ReporterPublished: 10 February 2017 9:42 AM

Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson says that he would have been taking a "significant financial step backwards" if he had agreed to a switch to Crystal Palace.

Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson has said that a potential switch to Crystal Palace during the January transfer window was not the right move for him at this stage of his career.

After falling down the pecking order at the Gunners, it was expected that Jenkinson would leave the club at the turn of the year but despite being heavily linked with a number of teams, he remained at the Emirates Stadium.

Palace had been considered favourites to sign the full-back, but Jenkinson has revealed that he would have been taking a "significant financial step backwards" had he agreed to sign for the Eagles.

The 25-year-old told The Mirror: "Football is a very short career. There was the possibility if I did move to Palace on the terms being offered then there was the chance it would have been quite a significant financial step backwards for me.

"It's a culmination of things. When you do leave a club like Arsenal, things need to be right for you. Everything needs to be right. It needs to be the right manager and financially - don't get me wrong, I don't want silly money - but it needs to be something that's right for me. I'm 25 years of age.

"Anyone who knows me, my friends and my family, know that wasn't the case. But to people further afield, I didn't want it to look like I was being greedy or whatever conclusion they may draw from what's been said."

Jenkinson has not featured for Arsenal since their EFL Cup defeat to Southampton on November 30.