SEMI AJAYI probably thought he would have 200 appearances at the Emirates Stadium by now.
But the former youth prospect will play only his second senior game in N5 on Saturday when Hull visit the Emirates – just two days before he turns 33.
Ajayi was once considered one of Arsenal’s most exciting youth prospects, earning a switch to the Gunners in 2013 after impressing on trial.
This weekend, he returns as a veteran pro looking to help his Hull side earn a shock result against the defending champions.
Just 19 at the time, Ajayi gave up the chance to break into the Charlton first team in favour of joining ‘s Arsenal.
Ajayi was named on the bench four times by Wenger during a two-year stint in North London.
He even came close to breaking through, acting as understudy to and before Wenger brought in to take his place.
Wenger ultimately had to have an honest conversation with the defender to tell him he couldn’t offer him first-team .
It sparked Ajayi to look elsewhere, heading out on trials with , Ipswich and even European giants .
But the centre-back landed in South Wales, signing for on a free transfer to try and kickstart his career.
Unfortunately, he suffered the same fate for the Bluebirds, failing to play a single senior minute and being shipped out on loan to , and Rotherham.
It was during those loans that he finally started to play senior football, taking the long way round to reach the top.
Steve Davis, Ajayi’s manager during his spell at Crewe, told SunSport: “He had great expectations on his shoulders, but we didn’t put that pressure on him.
“We just wanted him to give him the game time and a platform to show himself and it really was down to him.
“We can pick him and he’s got to do the business on the pitch, and he did. But that’s just his attitude. He had the determination to prove people wrong.”
Ajayi had played just five professional games, all in with Wimbledon, when he arrived at Crewe, but Davis knew he had signed a special talent.
The 61-year-old, who is now coaching at Wolves, recalls realising Ajayi had something when he set up Brad Inman’s second-half equaliser against Walsall.
He added: “I remember the Walsall game when he made the goal for Brad, he stepped forward into space and hit this almighty 70-yard diagonal pass to the left wing.
“It was straight to his feet and I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve not seen many centre-halves that could do that’.”
Ajayi began to finally find his feet as a pro when he left Cardiff in 2017, joining Rotherham where he started to play football and ultimately earned a switch to West Brom.
It was at West Brom where he got a taste of the Premier League, playing 33 times as they were relegated during the 2020/21 campaign.
Ajayi returned to the Emirates for the first time in his career that season, playing 90 minutes as Arsenal breezed past the Baggies 3-1.
Covid meant there were no fans inside the ground that day.
This afternoon’s game will be a different ballgame for Ajayi, this time in front of the fans he thought he would play for.
But the former Hale End prospect is now an experienced pro with 59 international caps for and a crucial part of Hull’s first team after joining last year.
Davis saw the determination in Ajayi to reach this level all those years ago.
He added: “He was definitely determined. He was definitely focused. You could see that in his eyes, you could see that in his body language.
“As a coach, you pick up on those things, players that really want to push on. He wanted to do extras, he wanted to learn.
“He had all the qualities that you look for in a player that wants to progress and play as high as you can.”
Ajayi has had to work for it, but he is finally back in the top flight and is now ready to show Arsenal what they were missing.
Davis added: “He wasn’t ready back then and he’s taken a different pathway, but he’s taken a difficult pathway as well.
“It’s not easy to drop down. It takes guts, determination, and great belief in yourself.
“He will have suffered at that time. He will have been suffering inside from that sort of knock back.
“But he’s used that as a positive way of getting back into the top flight via the clubs that he played for.
“To play against Arsenal, I’m sure he will have it in the back of his mind that he wants to prove he was good enough back then.”
Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic reckons Ajayi is having an “excellent season” and has praised him for his experience for the Tigers.
But even if Ajayi does prove that he has what it takes with a stellar performance against his former club, Jakirovic would not consider letting him leave the MKM Stadium.
Asked if Ajayi will be motivated to prove Arsenal wrong, Jakirovic said: “Maybe, and they can buy him, but I wouldn’t swap him for anyone.
