Aaron Ramsdale says Arsenal winning the Premier League title "wouldn't have meant much" to him unless he was playing.
The goalkeeper left the Gunners for Southampton over the summer and on Saturday makes his first return to Emirates Stadium since his exit.
Ramsdale endured a tough final season at Arsenal, which began with a new contract and ended with being surplus to requirements, with David Raya being signed weeks after he signed improved terms and quickly took his starting spot.
Arsenal again ended up empty-handed last season but, in a surprising admission, Ramsdale says any piece of silverware won while he was not on the pitch would not have mattered to him.
"If I was sitting on the bench, [winning a trophy] wouldn't have meant that much to me," Ramsdale told BBC Sport's Football Focus.
"I just wanted to play football. As a kid I wanted to play football to play, not to just sit on a bench. Getting out and playing was my aim so I'm lucky I found myself here at Southampton."
