I had to leave Arsenal after being pushed out but rebuilt career at two Premier League rivals

Alex Iwobi has grown into an established Premier League player in recent years, but he has had to overcome big obstacles in his path, including his brutal exit from Arsenal. The Nigeria international has become a key star under Marco Silva and will return to former club Everton this weekend with a point to prove.

Fulham have endured a mixed start to the season with a strong first few weeks balanced out by for successive defeats from September into October. Last weekend's win over Wolves and Carabao Cup progression was a step back in the right direction, with the Cottagers looking to build on that at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Iwobi spent four years and has recently shared his thoughts on facing his old club.

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"In life, sometimes you have to move on," he told The Daily Express (03/11, Fever Pitch pullout, page 12). "I have some good memories of Goodison Park, but now I am looking to create new memories playing against them, and hopefully we can get a win.

"It always feels special to face a former team, but I will look to treat it like any other team. I try to treat all opponents the same way," he added.

The 29-year-old has also given a verdict on his departure from Arsenal for Everton with the versatile midfielder going into some detail about how he felt pushed out of Emirates Stadium.

Speaking on The Inside Scoop podcast, Iwobi said: "Three or two days before the transfer deadline day, my agent said Everton are interested.

"I said nice. He said 'what do you think?' I said 'I'm kind of comfortable at Arsenal.' But Arsenal have just signed Pepe for this amount [£72million].

"They [Arsenal] said 'do you still want to stay?' I said 'Yeah, I don't mind'. I’'e had competition all my life, like that's another winger. I'm going to respect him but I'm going to prove my point."

Iwobi continued: "Normally, you need a medical before you go. [My agent] said, 'Arsenal have already handed in the medical, they might want you gone because they need to sell someone'.

"And they had players who weren't ready to go. But the easiest one and the biggest fee was me. So I was like, 'ah Arsenal want to get rid of me'."

Iwobi certainly holds no ill feelings towards Arsenal though, with it clear he considers the 15 years he spent at Arsenal as a crucial part of his career.

"So my time there, like I enjoyed my time. It made me who I am today," he said. "I understood the game because of Arsenal. So I owe them my career and of course, Arsenal is always going to be my heart. But I have no regrets in leaving."