COHEN BRAMALL was training with Arsenal’s first team including World Cup winner Mesut Ozil – just days after being sacked by car giant Bentley.
The current Rotherham’s left-back was “gobsmacked” when he was shoved straight into Arsenal’s senior practice under Arsene Wenger in 2017.
Bramall played for Hednesford in the Northern League Premier Division on a part-time basis, while working full-time at a car factory.
He told BBC Sport: “I got made redundant by Bentley on the Tuesday [20 December], which was crazy because I didn’t know what I was going to do.
“My agent Lee Payne rings me on the Wednesday saying you’ve got a trial at Arsenal. I was like ‘what?’ – I was gobsmacked.
“He said pack your stuff and get to this postcode, so I packed all my stuff in about an hour, got there as fast as I could, slept for a bit, then the next minute I’m in training with the first team.
“It was crazy how quick everything happened, how I met everyone and they just took me straight in. I had to take the opportunity with both hands.”
A trial match with Sheffield Wednesday U23s had been watched by Arsenal scout Brian McDermott, who called Bramall’s agent.
The following morning, he was training with Arsenal’s first team after expecting to meet up with the reserves.
He said: “I got chucked into a 5-vs-5 with some of the best players in the world, like Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech. It was crazy.
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“The tempo and movement was outstanding. It was a special moment for me.”
He’d also played in a reserve game at Crystal Palace.
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After two days, Arsenal submitted a bid to Hednesford Town and signed the then 20-year-old left-back.
The Gunners agreed terms on a reported £40,000 deal in January.
At the time, Wenger said: “Bramall is a young, promising left-back who has a lack of experience at the top level but who has fantastic ingredients.
“He has tremendous pace, a good left foot, a great desire to do well. Overall, he’s a very exciting prospect.”
But the Crewe-born player spent the remainder of the season with the U23s.
Bramall made his senior debut in a friendly against A-League side Sydney FC in July 2017.
But he and Arsenal team-mate Carl Jenkinson were loaned to Championship club Birmingham City in August.
On Bramall’s return to Arsenal, he played three times for their under-21 team in the 2018–19 EFL Trophy.
But the club confirmed he would be released when his contract expired in the 2019 summer window.
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Up the EFL ladder
After his time with Arsenal was up, Bramall signed a two-year contract with League Two club Colchester United in 2019.
He was sent off for the first time in his professional career that August for violent conduct during Colchester‘s 3–0 win against Swindon Town in the EFL Cup.
And he scored his first professional goal with a well taken free kick in a 3–0 win over Carlisle United in December.
Next up was a multi-year contract at League One side Lincoln City in February 2021.
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Bramall then climbed the football pyramid again after Championship side Rotherham matched his Lincoln release clause.
The now 28-year-old became a first XI staple, racking up 75 Championship appearances, before Rotherham were relegated in May.
He has since found himself playing second fiddle to former Man Utd youth player Reece James under manager Steve Evans.
He told the Rotherham Advertisier: “This is a challenge and it’s good for my character. If I know I’ve not been doing great, I’ll definitely tell myself that.”
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