Former Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson has signed a new contract with League Two side Bromley. The 33-year-old has enjoyed a career renaissance at the Kent-based outfit having returned to England back in September following three years in Australia.
After spending time at Melbourne City and Newcastle Jets, Harlow-born Jenkinson moved back to the EFL earlier this season as he joined newly-promoted Bromley. While he hasn't had the smoothest ride at The Ravens so far, struggling with injuries and fitness issues, he has impressed when called upon.
In fact, Bromley have only lost ONE league game when Jenkinson has played - and that came in a 1-0 defeat to high-flying Bradford City in February. He has made 11 League Two appearances for The Ravens, starting six of those, and last featured in a 1-0 win over Doncaster Rovers back in March.
Jenkinson has missed the last five league matches due to a hamstring injury and it's unclear if he will play again this season. That sparked fears among the Bromley fans that Jenkinson may have played his final game for the club.
However, with Jenkinson's contract set to expire in June, The Ravens have now tied him down to a longer deal. In a statement on Friday, Bromley confirmed that Jenkinson has committed his future to the fourth-tier side.
Bromley didn't specify the length of Jenkinson's new contract, but he is now anticipated to be a major part of Andy Woodman's team heading into the 2025/26 season. The Ravens were promoted to League Two for the first time last summer and have had a positive first season to life in the EFL.
They sit 13th in the table and are in no real danger of dropping back down to the National League. While Bromley are not mathematically safe, they are 17 points clear of 23rd-place Morecambe with six matches to go.
Although reaching the play-off places might be a little too far for The Ravens at this point, as they sit nine points behind Grimsby Town in seventh, a mid-table finish wouldn't be anything to be annoyed about.
Jenkinson hasn't played much for The Ravens, but when he has, he has made an impact. Bromley boss Woodman expressed his pride when he signed Jenkinson in September and he has since impressed.
Woodman worked with Jenkinson when the ex-England international came through the ranks at Charlton Athletic. Having stood out in a struggling Addicks side, Arsenal signed Jenkinson for £1million in June 2011.
He made his Gunners debut against Udinese in the Champions League and enjoyed a memorable first season in north London, despite being restricted to just 14 first-team appearances.
With Bacary Sagna out injured, Jenkinson started the 2012/13 season as the club's first-choice right-back. However, Jenkinson lost his place in December of that campaign and made just six appearances for the rest of the season. One of those came in defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
The 2013/14 season saw Jenkinson win his first trophy at the Emirates Stadium. They won the FA Cup after defeating Hull City 3-2 after extra-time at Wembley. While Jenkinson didn't start the showpiece final, he played against Coventry, Liverpool and Everton earlier in the competition.
In July 2014, Jenkinson joined West Ham on a season-long loan deal. He quickly established himself as the club's first-choice right-back and ended up spending two years on loan at the London Stadium.
However, during his second season at the Hammers, Jenkinson suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury and missed nine months of action. He returned and made his first appearance for Arsenal in over two years in October 2016 during a League Cup win over Reading and was lauded for his performance.
Jenkinson moved to Birmingham City on loan in summer 2017 after struggling for game time in the Arsenal first-team. But his switch to the West Midlands was not a successful one, as he played just nine matches.
Having spent the 2018/19 season as part of Unai Emery's team at Arsenal, Jenkinson left the Gunners after eight years to join Championship side Nottingham Forest on a permanent deal.
Reflecting on his time at Arsenal, Jenkinson told The Athletic in 2023: "It was difficult. I was so sad that it had come to an end. I needed a bit of time to get over the fact that I wasn’t a player anymore."
"I think I just needed a little bit of time to become a fan again," Jenkinson added. "It took a while but now I’m safely back in that bracket. And I love it: I follow the games like I always used to and me and my dad got a season ticket back.
"It means when I come back to England, I can go with the old man again. It’s nice. I’m at a point now where I’m enjoying being a fan again. That’s what I always was before. And that’s what I’ll always be from now on."
Jenkinson spent three years at Forest before moving to Australia in 2022. He enjoyed some time at Melbourne City on loan before joining Newcastle Jets, where he made 34 appearances in two