Carl Jenkinson has made a surprise move to League Two side Bromley after two years away from English football.
The defender’s career began at Charlton Athletic before moving to Arsenal in 2011, where he spent eight years in north London.
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Jenkinson, who has one cap for England, left the Gunners for Nottingham Forest before moving to Australia, where he played for Melbourne City and Newcastle Jets.
The 2014 FA Cup winner left the latter in the summer and became a free agent, but has now found a new club at Bromley.
“Bromley Football Club is delighted to announce the permanent signing of full-back and former England international Carl Jenkinson following his departure from Australian club Newcastle Jets,” the second division club said in a surprise announcement on Friday.
Speaking about the move itself, Jenkinson told the club media: “It’s good. I’m glad everything is sorted out now, all the international clearing stuff, and that took a bit of a drag.”
“So I’m really glad that it’s sorted out and done and dusted now.”
The move reunites Jenkinson with Bromley boss Andy Woodman, with the pair previously working together at Charlton.
“I know Woody from when I was a kid at Charlton. He was the goalkeeper coach for the first team,” explained the right-back.
“So just one of them: If you knew someone, Woody was always so easy to get along with, even as a young lad like a YTS boy, so I knew Woody pretty well since I was young.”
“Then of course you have a career and take different paths, but he was always someone I knew. I kind of followed what he did and also what his son did.” [Freddie Woodman, goalkeeper for Preston North End] do too.
“That led to me reaching out to Woody a few weeks ago and asking, ‘Can I come over and train?’
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“Because I wanted to stay fit and maintain my fitness, and we have the kind of relationship where I could ask that question. So it was nice that he said yes, and then it led to this.”
Jenkinson made 70 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions, but failed to maintain a regular place in defense.
He had two loan spells at West Ham and once at Birmingham City before leaving the Gunners in 2019.
The defender played just 15 times for Forest and signed a loan deal with Melbourne City in early 2022, where he won the A-League Men Premiership title.
The following summer, Jenkinson then joined league rivals Newcastle Jets and spent two years with the Australian side before becoming a free agent.
The 32-year-old is now part of a Bromley team playing their first season in the Football League following promotion to the National League.
Bromley are currently 18th in League Two with seven points and two wins.
And fans got to see him in action against MK Dons on Saturday.