ARSENAL star Alex Iwobi has revealed he came close to joining West Ham.
Iwobi has earned a first-team spot at Arsenal this season after breaking into Arsene Wenger’s team last term.
The Nigeria international is currently keeping out likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lucas Perez, but couldn’t help Arsenal avoid falling to a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday.
But Iwobi, 20, has revealed how he could have been turning out for the Gunners’ London rivals West Ham if things had been different.
“Arsenal and West Ham were interested in me and Chuba [Akpom], so we were training with both clubs for three years, because we were scouted at six and you can’t sign until you’re nine,” he said.
“I decided to sign for Arsenal because I supported them back then and I always saw them as the bigger club – no disrespect to West Ham.”
Iwobi is the nephew of ex-Bolton star Jay-Jay Okocha and was born in Nigeria before moving to England at the age of four.
The winger joined Arsenal while he was still at primary school along with team-mate Akpom, 21, but it was at youth team Rippleway where Iwobi was first spotted.
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“There were a lot of good players at my school, like my Arsenal team-mate Chuba Akpom,” Iwobi told Match of the Day magazine.
“Everyone loved football at my first primary school.”
“[But I was scouted] playing for my local Sunday league team, Rippleway.
“My dad heard that a scout was there to watch me and Chuba – we were just playing and didn’t think anything of it.”