EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Arsenal youth talent Biereth talks switch to Austria

Mika Biereth left Fulham in 2021 to become part of the youth department at Arsenal. Thus, a large part of Biereth's youth has been spent in one of the world's busiest cities.

Now he is in Graz, Austria, which has a population of around a quarter of a million. It has been a change the young Dane has felt significantly.

"It's very different. As a young player in London, there are many distractions. Some are good, some are not so good. In London, I was with my family, but Graz is a much smaller city and there are not so many opportunities to do something wrong," Biereth told Flashscore.dk.

Although the family has been left behind in London and the course has been set for southern Austria, the striker is quite happy with life in the city, where he is joined by the squad's two other Danes in William Boving and Tochi Chukwuani.

"It's a different lifestyle in Graz. We have a young squad, so it's not quite as boring, but I think it's a better lifestyle for a 21-year-old footballer," says Biereth with a smile.

Although you'd think that the bigger the player's name, the bigger the number of fans wanting photos and autographs; that's not necessarily the case according to Biereth, at least that's not his experience from his time in London.

"When you're in the Arsenal first team and walking around London, a lot of people are too starstruck to approach the players. There are few fans who have the courage to do that. In Graz, everyone just loves football and the first team and they come up to you all the time," says Biereth, who wants to give the club's fans a good experience.

"I have no problem at all with fans coming up to me."

The stay in Graz started with one of many temporary moves. Previously, Biereth was on loan RKC Waalwijk and Kilmarnock before heading to Graz in January 2024.

When last season ended, the Dane returned to Arsenal, but it was only for a short time. Graz came calling and Biereth had no qualms about returning to Austria.

"It was a pretty easy decision. I enjoyed my loan spell and we won the championship and the cup. When I came back to Arsenal and saw that playing time was a long way off, I wanted to come back to Graz," says the Danish under-21 international striker.

Now Biereth is looking forward to making a name for himself in Graz, but he remembers well when the whole world revolved around the Gunners.

"It's only when you leave the Arsenal bubble that you realise how hard it is to make a name for yourself. When you're 18 or 19, Arsenal is all you dream about, and if you don't make the first team you feel like a failure," says Biereth, who doesn't spend much time being sentimental even though he's leaving a big club.

"Of course, I'm sad to have left Arsenal. It's one of the biggest clubs in the world, but now I'm in Graz, playing Champions League football."

The Austrian double winners bought Biereth for around DKK 36 million (£4m). Not a huge price for a "proven goalscorer", who believes that the timing of the move is perfect.

"Of course I had hoped to make my debut for the first team and get the opportunity to show myself off. It didn't happen, and I don't want to sit around feeling sorry for myself. It was the perfect time for me to move on," says Biereth.

In addition to the three current Danes, a certain Rasmus Højlund has previously played in Graz. Biereth has noted Højlund's career progression, but in general he has noted the Austrians' ability to develop skilful strikers.

"The club has a good history with Danes, but also with strikers in general. Many strikers in Graz have joined and then taken a step further in their careers."

In the summer transfer window there were other options for Biereth, but although there were other clubs making enquiries, the Dane wasn't listening.

"There were a few clubs enquiring, but I made it very clear that I wanted to return to Sturm Graz, where I have felt welcome and part of the team."

The loan spell started excellently for Biereth, who in his first 12 games for the club netted no less than eight times. After the whirlwind start, however, the danger faded and the rest of the season saw just a single goal.

"My goal is to become more consistent. During my loan I started well, but then it fizzled out a bit at the end. I want to get better at that, so that it doesn't come in periods, but comes more fluently," says Biereth.

Biereth has started this season with three goals in six games, which is currently third on the top scorer list.