As a boyhood Arsenal fan, Carl Jenkinson almost felt he was in dreamland when Arsene Wenger sanctioned a deal to bring him to North London from Charlton Athletic last summer.
The right-back had a sketchy first season, making 14 appearances in all; however, the new English Premier League season has been a new dawn for the 20-year-old. He has been a part of all of the three matches so far, filling in for the injured Bacary Sagna, and playing a huge role in helping the team keep clean sheets.
Jenkinson has, particularly, impressed with his defending, looking solid in one-on-one situations, but still needs to work on going forward as well as making the right decisions with the ball at his feet, something he will definitely improve on with time.
"I think it's only natural that the longer you're at a club, the more at home you feel," Jenkinson told the club's official website.
"Coming here last year I felt a bit blown away with everything. This year I've come back and felt like one of the boys.
"It was different this year and it was nice because you like to feel comfortable and part of things. I'm happy with things at the moment and hopefully we just move on from here.
"My ambition for my whole career is to play for this football club. I want to be good enough and make my mark here. I won't be happy until I'm playing week-in, week-out. That's what I want to achieve."
Jenkinson has already tasted plenty of ups and downs after his first season at Arsenal, with the win against Spurs and the loss at Old Trafford particularly sticking in his mind.
"Old Trafford (when Arsenal lost to Manchester United) was a difficult day for me, and a difficult day for the club," he said. "It wasn't nice but I felt like I learnt a lot from that game.
"There were plenty of highs too. The one that sticks in my head is at home to Spurs, beating them on our home turf. As a Gooner that was something special. I only played 20-odd minutes but to be a part of that was an amazing feeling.
"There have been ups and downs but I've learnt a lot and I feel I've progressed a lot as a football player in my first year."
