I wanted to retire at Arsenal but had to leave when West Ham came calling

Nigel Winterburn is an Arsenal legend, there is no doubt about it. The 60-year-old spent 13 years at the Gunners, making over 400 appearances and winning a number of major trophies including the Premier League and FA Cup.

Winterburn, who joined Arsenal from Wimbledon in 1987, had intended to retire at the north London club after an established career at the top level, but a tempting offer from West Ham came calling and he couldn't turn it down. The ex-England left-back enjoyed three seasons with the Hammers before retiring in 2003.

On Saturday he will watch his two former teams meet in the Premier League, although the former defender has hinted at a tinge of regret about leaving Arsenal for West Ham.

Speaking to World Football Index earlier this week, Winterburn said: "To be honest, my intention was always to retire at Arsenal. However, I was probably a bit stubborn and, to some extent, selfish.

"By 2000, I found myself out of the team. In the final six months at Arsenal, with Sylvinho coming in, I was only playing once every five or six weeks, and I found that mentally very difficult.

"After playing regularly for so long, suddenly not being involved—especially when my life had always revolved around training to play—was a tough adjustment. The fact that I was training without any match at the end of it made it even harder to cope with.

"I ultimately decided that, despite my age, I was still fit and capable of playing more regularly than that. Once I realised, I wasn’t getting the playing time I wanted at Arsenal, I felt it was time to move on. West Ham, under Harry Redknapp, made an offer, and I felt it was the best move for me.

"My time there was a great experience, completely different from Arsenal, but I really enjoyed it, particularly under Harry. However, things changed when Harry was sacked and Glenn Roeder came in. There were challenges under Glenn, and eventually, a fallout with Paolo Di Canio."

Winterburn's time at West Ham was mixed. He had a good first two seasons in east London but his third was a "disaster" and that helped prompt him to retire from professional football.

He added: "The first two seasons at West Ham were enjoyable, but as everyone knows, the third season was a disaster. I broke my wrist just before Christmas, and shortly after, I found out that my father was seriously ill. Given these circumstances, I was not playing much anyway, as the doctors would not clear me to play with my injury.

"In that period, I offered to terminate my contract because I did not feel I was in the right state—emotionally and physically—to continue. Glenn was very understanding and said: 'We do not want you to do that. Just train at home, stay as fit as possible, and if we need you, I know I can call on you.’ I agreed to that.

"Unfortunately, shortly after, Glenn was dismissed, and Sir Trevor Brooking took over. I did not have much involvement with Sir Trevor, but he did an excellent job, and the team went on a fantastic run.

"Sadly, the poor results before his arrival had already put us in such a difficult position that survival became impossible. So, while my third year at West Ham was not great, the first two seasons offered a different experience, and I really enjoyed my time there."

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