Having spent more than half his life at Tottenham Hotspur, Josh Onomah cannot wait to face Arsenal next week.
Fulham kick-off the 2020/21 Premier League campaign with a televised London derby against the Gunners, a fixture that Onomah is anxious to sink his teeth into.
“Arsenal is definitely a good one to look forward to,” he told fulhamfc.com. “I was at Spurs for more than 14 years and obviously I grew to have a lot of love for the club, so playing Arsenal – from my youth days all the way up to the first team – was always a big game.
“I’ll definitely be taking momentum from that into the first game.
“They won the FA Cup Final and they just won the Community Shield, so they’re on top form. But we’re in one of the best leagues in the world now, so you’re going to play the best teams.
“We’ve just got to take that challenge in our stride and hopefully we’ll come off the pitch as the winning side next Saturday.
“As it’s the early kick-off, most people – if not everyone – will be watching, so we’ve got to show what we’re capable of, stamp our authority, and show that we are a Premier League club.”
Onomah has already sampled top flight football, but as each of his 13 appearances for Tottenham came as a substitute, surely he’s champing at the bit for another crack at the Premier League?
“Yeah, 100 per cent,” he said. “At Spurs I made just over 10 appearances but they were off the bench, so this time around I’m looking forward to showing everyone what I can do in the Prem.
“I’ve got a point to prove and I look forward to the challenge.”
The new season comes just 39 days after the Play-Off Final, a match in which Onomah was one of our key performers, causing Brentford’s backline no end of problems, particularly in the opening stages.
“At the start of the game I was bubbling with excitement to try and make an impact, and think I had about four or five chances in the first 20 minutes!” he recalled.
“I was unfortunate not to score with one of them but thankfully it didn’t matter in the end.
“It was a place I’d been before two years ago when I lost to Fulham when I was at Aston Villa, so I just wanted to win.
“Winning at Wembley is an incredible feeling. It’s a shame the fans weren’t there to share that moment with us, but I know they were all watching so I’m just glad we could give them something to smile about.
“It’s finally sunk in, now we’re back at the Training Ground preparing for the new season, but it took a few weeks for it to sink in.
“It was a proud moment for me but now I’m just excited for the new season.”