Simpson - I want to be part of Arsenal's future

Jay Simpson has returned to Arsenal after a season long loan spell with Millwall.

The young striker is keen to apply all that he has learnt in a red and white shirt, and the sooner the better.

“I am very high in confidence at the moment and feel that I have learnt a lot, especially playing under pressure,” he says. “When I first joined Millwall we were playing some good football but did not get the results that the quality of the play deserved.

"I started in the team and then after a little while I wasn’t starting, but then Kenny Jackett was appointed as manager last November and I started playing regularly again,” recalls Jay. “Because we had a poor start to the season, it felt as though we were in a relegation battle from the beginning. All the players were under pressure.

"There were a lot of team-talks whereby players who had previously been in Division Two were relaying their experiences and emphasising that they did not want to play there again. That worked to keep everybody focused on fighting for every point. The fans at Millwall are very passionate too and they were another reason for the players to keep doing everything possible to stay up.

"The fans were good to me. I used to get good feedback from them when I used to talk to them before games and I think much of that was because I scored a lot of important goals.”

One of those goals came in the final rubber of the season when the youngster bagged the first of Millwall’s three that guaranteed the South London Club safety.

“That was a big relief for everyone and a great reward for all the hard work put in over the season. Millwall have something to build on now.”

Jay played over 40 games for the Lions and scored eight goals, all from wide positions.

“I never got to play up top. The manager played me wide right as one of a three and wanted me to run at players and get crosses into the box. It’s a role that I have played for Arsenal in both the youth team and reserves and so it wasn’t new to me but I was able to develop my dribbling and quality of my deliveries and of course, getting into goalscoring positions. Whether I play as an out and out attacker up top or in wide positions I feel I am much better equipped now to take on defenders and make best use of my ability to do so.”

The youngster clearly enjoyed his time with Millwall, but it took him a bit of time to settle.

“When I first joined I used to go in the mornings for training, do my work and go home. I felt like a bit of an outsider in the beginning. I never really spoke or mixed in with the team. Then a couple of the more senior players came over and had a chat and really helped me become part of the set up. After that I started bonding with players and especially after the new manager came in, he brought in some younger players and I made some good friends that I am now very close with.”

Jay is an Arsenal fan from Tottenham and kept a close eye on results while he was at The New Den.

“I really thought it was going to be our year this year. We have played some great football and I am gutted that we look like we are going to finish third, especially how results have gone recently. We have not had the luck with us this year, but the younger players have come on so well and will have learnt a lot which will be good for next season.

“I want to be a part of Arsenal’s future and you never know, I could get a chance of featuring in the last game of the season. That would be good. I got a lot out of my time with Millwall and I think I did well for them too, but it reaffirmed for me that I want to play my football at the highest level and I will do everything I can to make sure that I can do that with the Club I have loved since I was a child.”