Nathan Tella admitted that leaving Arsenal at a young age was a difficult experience for him.
Tella honed his skills for 10 years at the Gunners academy before he was released in 2017.
The Nigeria international was also turned down by Reading and Norwich City.
The winger however got another chance at Southampton, where he made his Premier League debut.
The 24-year-old moved to newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen Leverkusen last summer.
Tella confessed he was embarrassed after he was told to leave Arsenal.
“I couldn’t believe it, Arsenal was all I knew from the age of six when I got scouted,” he told VAVEL.
“It was tough because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Maybe stay at Arsenal, try force their hand and make another decision, or if I was to go out on trials. I spoke to my family, I spoke to my agent they said it’s best to go on trials to see what I can do and get out of my comfort zone.”
