Nigerian international Alex Iwobi has given a candid account of how his long association with Arsenal came to an abrupt end, revealing that the club effectively moved him on while he was still on holiday after the Africa Cup of Nations.

Iwobi, a product of Arsenal’s academy and a boyhood Gunner, explained on the High Performance podcast that he returned from a strong AFCON campaign expecting a brief break and a fresh start in north London. According to him, then manager Unai Emery encouraged him to take extra time off to recharge.

“I was away at AFCON. I had a good AFCON. I came back and Unai Emery told me to take two weeks extra and enjoy my holiday,” Iwobi recalled. He travelled to Dubai with his family, believing his future at the Emirates was secure.

While he was relaxing in the Middle East, Arsenal completed the high-profile signing of winger Nicolas Pépé from Lille. The move immediately raised questions in Iwobi’s mind about his place in the squad. “I was in Dubai with my family and then they signed Nicolas Pépé. I thought, if you really want me, why are you signing another winger?” he said.

Uncertainty turned into a concrete exit when his agent managed to reach him with patchy phone reception as he swam in the sea. Everton were pushing hard, and manager Marco Silva wanted to speak directly with him. Iwobi said that, behind the scenes, Arsenal had already begun facilitating the transfer.

“Before I even had a chance to say yes or no, Arsenal basically said they don’t mind me going,” he revealed. Medical documents were sent to Everton, signalling that the club was prepared to cash in on a player who had grown up in its system.

After discussions with his parents and sister, Iwobi agreed to the move, framing it as an opportunity to leave his comfort zone and prove himself elsewhere in the Premier League. Yet the emotional and personal adjustment was far from simple.

He described the early months on Merseyside as some of the toughest of his career, living alone in a Liverpool hotel and feeling isolated from the support network he had always known in London. “I’ve always been an Arsenal kid. Arsenal was all I knew. So going somewhere else and staying in a dark hotel room by myself… it was tough,” he admitted.

Over time, Iwobi settled, rebuilt his confidence and continued his Premier League journey, but his account offers a rare, human glimpse into how quickly a club can move on from even its most homegrown talents.