Carl Jenkinson: Arsenal fullback joins West Ham on season-long loan

The right-back has slipped down the pecking order at the Emirates after the arrivals of Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers this summer

Carl Jenkinson was pursued by several clubs before opting to join the Hammers for next season (GETTY IMAGES)

West Ham have signed Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson on a season-long loan.

The 22-year-old has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs and decided to move across London for the 2014-15 campaign.

The right-back has slipped down the pecking order at the Emirates after the arrivals of Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers this summer.

Jenkinson, who joined the Gunners from Charlton in 2011 and earned his only England cap against Sweden 18 months later, becomes the Hammers' sixth summer signing joining Mauro Zarate, Enner Valencia, Cheikhou Kouyate, Aaron Cresswell and Diego Poyet.

“I'm clearly seen as a big part of things here and hopefully I can prove my worth here because it is an important year for me,” said Jenkinson.

“I was flattered to have a lot of options but deep down, if I was being honest with myself, West Ham was always the place I wanted to go to.

“It's one of them where I wanted to do the right professional thing and consider all the options, but in the back of my mind it was always West Ham and I'm just so glad it's all worked out how I wanted it to in the end.

“It will be brilliant to play here. I've got a lot of friends who are West Ham fans and I know how good the supporters are here.

“You get a great atmosphere here and the fans are great, so I just can't wait to get a West Ham shirt on and get on the pitch and play.”

Jenkinson, who played for Finland at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level before switching to the Three Lions, was swayed by the Hammers' ambition to progress.

“To be honest, that was a big swing in this for me, seeing this club is going in the right direction,” he explained. “Obviously the (Olympic) stadium plans are only a couple of years away and that's going to improve this club massively. We've signed six players and they are top players as well. It's a very exciting time to be a part of this club.”

PA