Player who left Arsenal this summer says Gunners return ‘would be fantastic’

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Arsenal had a fruitful transfer window in the summer, bringing in several strong additions that have improved the squad’s strength in depth.

There were also numerous departures from the Emirates Stadium, as Mikel Arteta moved players on that were surplus to his requirements.

Now, one player who Arsenal sold in the summer has admitted that a hypothetical return to N5 would be “fantastic”.

Mika Biereth says Arsenal return would be ‘fantastic’

The player in question is Mika Biereth, who Arsenal sold to Sturm Graz in a £4million deal this summer.

The Danish striker joined the Hale End academy setup from Fulham in the summer of 2021 and he made waves at youth level for the Gunners.

Although Biereth never made his senior debut for Arsenal, he enjoyed loan spells with RKC Waalwijk, Motherwell and, most recently Sturm Graz.

The 21-year-old was in prolific form for the Austrian outfit in the second half of last season, which helped convince the club to move for him permanently.

Biereth registered nine goals and four assists in 22 appearances as he helped fire Sturm Graz to a league and cup double.

This season, the Arsenal academy graduate has picked up from where he left off last term for his new employers.

Biereth has seven goals and one assist in nine games in the Austrian Bundesliga, as well as one goal in two games in the OFB Cup.

The striker has spoken to Danish outlet TV2 about his future career plans after scoring his first goal for his nation in Denmark U21s’ 5-0 win over Czechia’s U21s.

“Things are going well in Sturm Graz,” he said. “I have nothing to complain about right now.

“I play every week at a good level, and now we also play in the Champions League, where I’m still waiting for my first goal.

“If I keep playing well and scoring goals, hopefully a change can come, but right now I’m focused on Sturm and on doing well and scoring goals,

“A return back to Arsenal would be fantastic, but it’s not something I’m focusing on right now.”

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Three players who played for Arsenal over two different spells

Biereth would not be the first player to return to Arsenal after leaving the club if he did indeed make a move back to the Emirates Stadium.

Martin Keown made 22 appearances for Arsenal after breaking into the first-team in 1984, but he also took in a loan spell at Brighton before being sold to Aston Villa in 1986.

Keown made 112 appearances for Villa before joining Everton in 1989 and, four years and 96 outings later, he then reunited with Arsenal, clocking up a further 310 outings for the Gunners.

John Lukic came through the ranks at Leeds United in 1978 and made 146 outings for the Elland Road outfit before joining Arsenal in 1983 and making 209 outings.

The goalkeeper then returned to Leeds in 1990, clocking up a further 209 appearances for the Whites, and then made another return to Highbury in 1996 as David Seaman’s deputy for a further 18 outings.

Thierry Henry, arguably Arsenal’s greatest player of all time, made a loan return to North London after initially leaving the club in 2006.

The iconic striker made 370 appearances in his first spell for the Highbury side, registering 226 goals between 1999 and 2007.

He then joined Barcelona and spent three years at the Camp Nou before linking up with MLS side New York Red Bulls, the last club he was on the books at.

However, Henry went on to take a loan spell at Arsenal in 2012, scoring against Sunderland in the Premier League and against Leeds United in the FA Cup.