Mika Biereth: ‘The problem for a lot of children is that they are so programmed to play for Arsenal that when it doesn’t work…’ | OneFootball

Mika Biereth (22) has enjoyed a meteoric rise since leaving formative club Arsenal in the summer. He has now spoken about his time at the Premier League side in an interview with L’Équipe.

Biereth first moved to Sturm Graz before making the move to AS Monaco in January for a €13m fee. He has since scored 12 goals in Ligue 1, including three hat-tricks. However, finding success after leaving Arsenal has been difficult for some players. The Danish forward has explained why he believes that is the case.

“The problem for a lot of children is that they are so programmed to play for Arsenal that when it doesn’t work, they are stuck. There are lots of big clubs that play good football, opportunities and different paths,” Biereth told L’Équipe, who on top of playing for the Gunners’ academy, also had stints at Fulham and Chelsea as a youngster.

Monaco plan for long-term with Biereth

Biereth never made an appearance for Arsenal’s first team, however, the prolific centre-forward unequivocally dismissed any notion of failure. “Every player that pulls on an Arsenal shirt wants to succeed there, it is natural but when you manage to get into this academy, it is anything but a failure,” said the London-born centre-forward.

He has found success at Monaco, who are more than happy to have him at the club. “Of course, he has surpassed expectations. Nobody could predict that a young player arrives and scores so many goals, as he has,” the Principality club’s CEO Thiago Scuro told Get French Football News in an exclusive interview.  “The feeling is that he is here for a few years,” he added.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle