Swansea City vs Arsenal: Lukasz Fabianski happy as Swans first choice goalkeeper

The Pole spent seven years in a supporting role at the Emirates

Pride of place: Lukasz Fabianski has seen his dream come true at Swansea (Getty)

Lukasz Fabianski may have lifted the FA Cup at Wembley but insists becoming No 1 choice at Swansea City has seen his dream come true.

LIVE: Swansea vs Arsenal latest

For seven years the Polish goalkeeper was forced to play a supporting role at Arsenal. The occasional run of Premier League games here, or a Champions League tie there, merely added to his frustration. It would have been easy to leave under a cloud yet, ironically, his last game for Arsenal saw them end a nine-year wait for silverware. An open-bus parade and a plea from Arsène Wenger would not change his mind and his ambition took him to South Wales.

The Liberty Stadium faithful immediately took the 29-year-old to their hearts, regularly belting out “We’ve Got a Big Pole in Our Goal” to the tune of “The Whole World in Our Hands”.

Fabianski said: “Having grown up in Poland, it is a dream come true for me to be playing every week in the Premier League as the No 1 goalkeeper.

“I will always be grateful to Arsenal for bringing me into the best league in the world, but Swansea have given me what I always wanted, and as No 1, I want to pay them back. There were times when I thought I was going to get that at Arsenal but it wasn’t to be. ”

Manager Garry Monk felt that it was time to freshen his options between the posts, allowing Michel Vorm to join Tottenham, and Swansea are now reaping the rewards. After five clean sheets in 10 League starts, Fabianski is ready to face Arsenal again.

“I was always respectful to Arsène and I think he respected me for that. We had a good relationship and understanding. We spoke a lot after going through many ups and downs and, overall, I’m very proud of the way I finished my career with Arsenal.”