ARSENAL saw their hopes of signing Albert Gudmundsson dashed four years ago and the winger has now revealed why he turned down a move to north London.




Reykjavik-born Gudmondsson rose through the youth ranks of hometown club KR, turning plenty of heads in the process.
And he left the KR-vollur stadium before he’d even made his senior debut, heading to Holland with Heerenveen.
Gudmondsson’s performances at academy level saw him picked up by Heerenveen’s domestic rivals in 2015.
The 20-year-old’s Philips Stadion switch came after he had trial spells with Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool.
Gudmondsson has now specifically lifted the lid on why he snubbed the Gunners - despite supporting them.


It was difficult," Gudmundsson told Goal. "I think my decision to go to Holland was more because I would get more quickly into the first team here.

"I went on trial at both Liverpool and Arsenal. I had a really good time there in England but, in the end, it was me being realistic about where I would get the most playing time.


Arsenal are a team I support though, it was such a difficult decision. I was thinking about it for a while.
"I was 16 at the time and my family helped me with my decision. I think I took the right decision still, but you never know, we will see at the end of my career if I was wrong."
Gudmondsson also explained following Arsenal from afar is down to his great grandfather, Albert Sr., who played for the Emirates outfit in the 1940s.
"I am really proud that my great grandfather played for Arsenal," he added. "I never got to see him play in person.
It was also so long ago that we don’t have any clips of him playing football or anything. When I hear people talk about him they say that he was probably the best player that we ever had.
"It isn’t for me to say, because I never saw him, but I hear he was really, really good. The Premier League was on all the time. My dad is a big Manchester United fan. I support Arsenal. 




That’s because my grandpa played there. I am and I will always be an Arsenal fan, but if we were not watching the Premier League then we watched the Icelandic league and Spanish league.
"I am a big fan of Spanish football because I like how they play football and keep it so simple. I especially like to watch Barcelona."
Gudmondsson made 25 appearances for PSV and their second-string side, PSV Jong, over the course of the 2017/18 campaign.
And he’s been named in Iceland’s squad for the summer’s World Cup, where they’ll face Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria in Group D.

ARSENAL saw their hopes of signing Albert Gudmundsson dashed four years ago and the winger has now revealed why he turned down a move to north London.




Reykjavik-born Gudmondsson rose through the youth ranks of hometown club KR, turning plenty of heads in the process.
And he left the KR-vollur stadium before he’d even made his senior debut, heading to Holland with Heerenveen.
Gudmondsson’s performances at academy level saw him picked up by Heerenveen’s domestic rivals in 2015.
The 20-year-old’s Philips Stadion switch came after he had trial spells with Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool.
Gudmondsson has now specifically lifted the lid on why he snubbed the Gunners - despite supporting them.


It was difficult," Gudmundsson told Goal. "I think my decision to go to Holland was more because I would get more quickly into the first team here.

"I went on trial at both Liverpool and Arsenal. I had a really good time there in England but, in the end, it was me being realistic about where I would get the most playing time.


Arsenal are a team I support though, it was such a difficult decision. I was thinking about it for a while.
"I was 16 at the time and my family helped me with my decision. I think I took the right decision still, but you never know, we will see at the end of my career if I was wrong."
Gudmondsson also explained following Arsenal from afar is down to his great grandfather, Albert Sr., who played for the Emirates outfit in the 1940s.
"I am really proud that my great grandfather played for Arsenal," he added. "I never got to see him play in person.
It was also so long ago that we don’t have any clips of him playing football or anything. When I hear people talk about him they say that he was probably the best player that we ever had.
"It isn’t for me to say, because I never saw him, but I hear he was really, really good. The Premier League was on all the time. My dad is a big Manchester United fan. I support Arsenal. 




That’s because my grandpa played there. I am and I will always be an Arsenal fan, but if we were not watching the Premier League then we watched the Icelandic league and Spanish league.
"I am a big fan of Spanish football because I like how they play football and keep it so simple. I especially like to watch Barcelona."
Gudmondsson made 25 appearances for PSV and their second-string side, PSV Jong, over the course of the 2017/18 campaign.
And he’s been named in Iceland’s squad for the summer’s World Cup, where they’ll face Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria in Group D.