COHEN BRAMALL’s journey from non-league hopeful to Premier League footballer has been completed as Arsenal confirmed the signing of the 20-year-old.
Just last month the left-back was facing unemployment after being made redundant from his £400-a-week job as a factory worker at Bentley Motors in Crewe.
After initially believing the first contact from the Gunners was a prank, he is now on his way to the Emirates after pocketing his old club Hednesford Town £40,000.
Bramall can now forget about the prospect of signing on the dole and will pocket around £3,000-a-week.
He will join up with the club’s Under-23 side, but could be handed an opportunity in the summer ahead of next season to make an impact with the first-team squad.
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Cohen told Arsenal.com: “Incredible, incredible. It’s a dream come true… I can’t believe that I’m here already. It’s mental.”
When asked about his initial reaction discovering the north London giants and Wenger were interested in him, he said: “My mouth dropped, I looked at my agent. It was a pretty emotional response really. I just couldn’t believe it… couldn’t believe it. I just thought ‘yes!’.
“I rang my mum, and she was like ‘Cohen, I’m so proud!’. She was upset but it was a good cry! It’s amazing and everything is just so surreal right now.
“I met him [Wenger] on the pitch, and he’s a top, top guy. There was chemistry there straight away. I think he’s a great guy and hopefully I can impress him.”
Bramall, who once accused a team-mate of stealing his wallet while playing non-league, has played for Nantwich, Alsager Town, Newcastle Town and Market Drayton Town before joining Hednesford last summer.
And after starting life as a life as a winger, Bramall was full of praise for his former boss, a man who has helped to transform his life.
He continued: “It's been crazy. I played for Hednesford Town. I had been there for about five months and the manager was Lee McDonald who really took me on.
“I wanted to be a left winger and he said in front of my mum and dad ‘no I want you to be a left back’.
“I was new to it but I played left back for him and he gave me a lot of confidence to be a proper left back.”
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Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace were also chasing Bramall and offered him a trial, but when Arsenal came calling there was only ever going to be one option for the youngster.
Bramall added: “Teams were getting interested and my confidence was getting bigger and bigger. And then I signed with an agency called Full Contact with Lee Payne and Dan Chapman. A great agency with a lot of non-League talent there. It's complete credit to them on that.
“I went to Crystal Palace for a week and played a behind-closed-doors match against Brentford. That went OK and then I went on trial at Sheffield Wednesday. I played a game at Birmingham City which was last Monday.
“And then last week Tuesday I got made redundant from Bentley Motors and then on the Wednesday, Arsenal came in and I was gobsmacked so took the chance with both hands.
“Drove down on the Wednesday night and then trained on the Thursday and Friday. Then they offered me a deal.
“My mouth dropped. I looked at my agent and it was a pretty emotional response really. I just couldn't believe it and thought yes.”
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