‘It’s best for my career’: 21yo pleased to leave Arsenal for UCL club, scored 4 goals this season | OneFootball

Sturm Graz striker Mika Biereth has said that he is pleased with the decision to leave Arsenal during the summer transfer window.

Biereth spent three years with the Gunners after arriving from Fulham, but he failed to make a single competitive appearance.

He spent his time on loan with three different clubs including Graz during the back end of last season.

The 21-year-old was hugely impressive with nine goals and four assists and played a big part in them winning the league title.

Graz re-signed him on a permanent deal for a club-record £4 million fee and Biereth believes he made the best decision for his career.

Speaking to Tipsbladet (via SportWitness), the Danish striker said that it is a sad feeling leaving Arsenal, but he is not that dissappointed.

He is very excited to be playing in the Champions League and feels he has made the right choice.

He said: “When you’re at the club, you’re in your Arsenal bubble and then you come out of it and you learn how hard it is in the real football world as a professional footballer.

“When you’re 18-19 years old, you only wanted to be at Arsenal and you had to be in the first team, and if you weren’t, you would be a failure.

“As you get older, you realise how difficult it is to get into the first team at Arsenal. You think about what you could do next and my next step was to go to Sturm Graz.

“It’s very exciting to be playing Champions League football, so I’m not that disappointed to be leaving Arsenal.

“Of course, it’s a sad feeling when you leave one of the biggest clubs in the world. However, it’s best for my career.”

Biereth had a productive 2023/24 campaign. He scored 15 goals and provided nine assists in two loan spells with Motherwell and Graz.

Despite this, he was unlikely to break into the first-team plans at Arsenal, considering his lack of experience at the highest level.

His poor ball-playing ability was probably another reason for his exit. Biereth has averaged just three passes per game for Graz this term.

Biereth now has the platform to develop further and become a consistent goalscorer so that he can attract interest from bigger teams.

He has already netted four goals in seven outings this season. His progress will no doubt be monitored by clubs in Europe’s top-five leagues.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com