Nigel Winterburn has revealed the emotional reasons behind his departure from Arsenal after 13 years of dedicated service to the club, despite his deep affection for the Gunners.
The 61-year-old, who made a remarkable 577 appearances for Arsenal after joining from Wimbledon in 1987 for £350,000, enjoyed an illustrious career at Highbury. During his time at the club, Winterburn won two First Division titles, a Premier League trophy, two FA Cups, a League Cup, and a European Cup Winners’ Cup. Widely regarded as one of the best left-backs of his era, Winterburn’s tenure with Arsenal ended with his move to West Ham United in 2000.
However, in an exclusive interview with William Hill, Winterburn admitted that leaving Arsenal was never his choice, revealing that he had a strong desire to remain at the club but ultimately felt he had no other option.
“I didn’t want to leave Arsenal,” Winterburn said. “No one told me I was supposed to be leaving. I don’t think there was ever a moment where I felt I was being pushed out.”
Reflecting on his early days at Arsenal, Winterburn shared that his transition from Wimbledon to the north London club was challenging, especially in the first six months. “It was difficult,” he explained. “I was joining a huge club from a team that had just been promoted. The adjustment was tough because even though I was moving to a bigger club with a richer history, I found it hard not playing regularly.”
Despite these initial struggles, Winterburn soon became a key figure at Arsenal, eventually establishing himself as a regular in the left-back position. “Once I started breaking into the team, playing primarily at left-back, I became a regular, and apart from the last six months of my career, I was mostly fit and playing,” he said.
It was during the final stages of his Arsenal career that Winterburn realized he needed to move on. “The last six months were the only time I found it difficult to accept that I wasn’t playing every week,” Winterburn confessed. “When you’ve played regularly for 17 years, it’s hard to come to terms with not being involved as often.”
He added that despite never receiving any offers from other clubs during his time at Arsenal, he ultimately understood that leaving was necessary to reignite his passion for the game. “I had to leave to keep that motivation and passion going,” he said. “I loved playing, and I felt that moving to West Ham was the right step for me at that point in my career.”
Winterburn spent three years at West Ham, making 92 appearances before retiring in 2003. His move from Arsenal marked the end of an era for one of the club’s most loyal and decorated players.
