 Hello, and welcome to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast. This is where we're hoping to give you a unique insight into life at the Vitality Stadium and beyond. I'm Chris Tempel, match commentator on the cherries for BBC Radio Solent and AFCB TV, and alongside me for this episode, I'm delighted to be reunited with my partner in crime from our former life on the preview show, Zoe Rundle. Zoe, hi. Hello, Chris. It's lovely to be back alongside you. Have you been coping okay with that? Having to listen to me ramble on every Friday on the preview show? Do you know, it's been a lot changed since we were doing the preview show last year. You know, a lot of different players come in, players going differently, different manager, of course. Absolutely, and of course, most recently, fans back in as well. Fans back in, how good was it? I mean, as we're recording this, that game against Huddersfield was just a few days ago, but it was absolutely brilliant, and that performance, it had everything. It had individual goals, it had team goals, it had a clean sheet, debuts, and of course, the fans. What more could you ask for? And it's surprising how much noise, a small amount, if there's only 1200 for the first game, of course, going up from there, but how much noise they can make. And do you realise, watching back the highlights on AFCB TV, you actually wouldn't know, it wasn't a full stadium, would you, for the raw when the goals went in? Yeah, I mean, the fans, they were brilliant. And for them, it must have been such an amazing moment because we've been so lucky that we've been able to go to games over the last few months. And for them, to be back in the stadium and to be back at home is amazing. And as we said, what a performance they had. I don't know about you, but I've got some goosebumps when the team came out to the reception they got as well in the first game back for sure, when it was, I guess, us remembering what it was like. I've got to say on the radio, it just makes such a huge difference as well, to have a bit of a soundtrack in the background. No let up, of course, as ever in the championship fixture schedule at the moment, but with you supporters now returning to the stadium slowly, but surely, we know not all of you have had the opportunity so far to come back, but hopefully you will do shortly this season, hopefully continuing on an upward path. Now, in episode one of the official AFC Bournemouth podcast, we chatted to the club's technical director, Richard Hughes, who gave us an insight into his role into recruitment operations here at the stadium. That episode, of course, is available to listen to still in our back catalogue, and it won't be too hard to find because it is the only episode in our back catalogue. This, of course, being the brand new official AFC Bournemouth podcast. Today in episode two, we're delighted to be able to take you inside the dressing room. I was going to start teasing his identity with some of his career stats, but then I realised you've clicked on his name to listen to this podcast anyway. So it's a big welcome to a man usually found mesmerising defenders or banging in goals, Arnaut Danduma. Arnaut, welcome to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast. Thank you, thank you. Let's start, shall we, with the fact that we unfortunately haven't seen you on the pitch in the last few weeks. Obviously, you've had a bit of an injury issue, just bring us up to date with A, how the injury is, and B, how frustrating it's been having started the season so well. It's getting better by each day, making a lot of progress. I won't be out for too long, but obviously it's frustrating to be out. Although we've been winning games, so that makes me happy. Obviously, we need to stay at the top of the table. But on the other hand, you would always like to be a part of the team and be involved in winning games, so it's always frustrating being out. Particularly when you put together your best run of form since you came to the club as well. Yeah, I mean, I've been performing well, if I can say so, I've been performing well, yeah. So being out is very frustrating for me. But then again, I mean, I can only focus on my rehab right now and make sure that I make the best out of it and make sure that I come back twice as hard. How good are you at watching, particularly when you know you'd love to be out there? If I need to be really honest, I'm not even watching all the games, because if I'm watching the out, I'll get so frustrated that I'm not playing. So I always watch with one eye closed. Does it make you nervous when you're watching? Because obviously, when you're in the game, you're there, you're playing it, you can impact it. But when you're watching, you can't do anything about it. Yeah, I wouldn't say particularly nervous, but it just gets me frustrated because I'm watching the game, you want them to win. The nervous freedom is where I think, ah, if I was playing, I would do this, I would do that. If I get the ball here, I would do this. So yeah, it just gets me frustrated. So that's why I watch a game every now and then. You know, we're scoring a lot of goals. We're playing a lot of really good attacking football. Obviously, you've scored five goals yourself this season. What's it like, you know, when you're seeing all your teammates score these goals and brilliant goals on Saturday as well? No, that makes me happy as well. I mean, I have a good relationship with the lads. As far as I'm concerned, I want them to do good as well. And I hope they want me to do good as well. So the more goals we score, the better. Obviously, we need to win and it's a team sport, a team performance. So it's all good. We'll go back a little bit in a moment, Arnie, and go back to where it started and back to Holland and talk more about your life away from football. But just give us your impressions on the championship so far. Obviously, you got five goals before you picked up your injury. What have you noticed is the main differences between your time in the Premier League to what you're facing now in the championship? It's a path league. Obviously, playing games back-to-back every Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday. It's quite difficult on its own because it's just a tough schedule. So that makes the way you play football makes it very interesting because you need to make sure the team gets switched on in the right place. You need to get your body in the right place. You have so many teams in this league that are hand-to-hand with each other. It's so competitive. That makes it a very difficult league in my opinion. I would say, apart from the top five leagues in the world, I would say the championship comes right after it. It's so tough, competitive. I just saw in Holland, Ajax won 13-0. I mean, you wouldn't see those scores in the championship. So it's a very competitive league. You need to make sure you're always switched on, even if you're playing against the teams that are at the bottom. So that makes it a very difficult league in my opinion. Is that, do you think, a contributory factor to picking up your injury, the fact the schedule, the intensity of Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday? Yeah, definitely. But on the other hand, I mean, at this moment I have a minor injury and I think with the schedule we have, it's only reasonable if that makes any sense. I think a lot of players will get injured every now and then playing the championship. So yeah, just need to make sure you get your body in the best place possible and go forward from there. How do you handle injuries? We know about your faith, of course, and we'll talk a little bit more about that shortly, with, not just injuries, but setbacks in life, setbacks in football. Yeah, I'm a Muslim, I'm a religious, so I get a lot of strength from my religion. At this moment, for example, my mom, she comes to my place because I live on my own, so that gets me, like, relaxed as well. Yeah, how do I deal with it? That's not really, like, a secret ingredient for me. I just get frustrated when I watch games. Just don't watch games. Now, for me, I think what gets me calm is knowing that I'm focused on my rehab, so I'll do every day the best I can to make sure that I get the best rehab possible to make sure I'm in the best place when I come back. And I think that gets me relaxed, just knowing that every day I'm doing the best I can to make sure that I'm the best ASAP. How important are family to you? Because you mentioned there, your mom, I know she lives over here now, and she's obviously down visiting you as much as you can as well. They're a big family, and they're dotted around here and in Holland and whatever. But how important is that family values and connections to you as well as your off field, I guess, life? My parents are my heroes. I'll respect them always. They're my heroes. So, I think, in general, I mean, you should always take care of your parents. They did it for you when you were younger, so when they get older, you need to take care of them. And that's what I'll try to do. Obviously, not now because I'm injured, so the roles have changed. I think, just in general, you should always take care of your parents. I mean, they contribute greatly in life to anyone who was born on Earth, and you should always take care of your parents. Obviously, for you, you know, you've spoken before about your parents divorcing when you were very young, but I think you said subsequently that they have a very good relationship. How important is that to you? Um, not very important. My parents did the force when they were younger. There hasn't been an issue for me or my siblings at all. But obviously, it's better if they get along good. But on the other hand, you'll see in some households that parents stay with each other just for the children. But I don't necessarily think that's a good idea because if your parents don't get along, you should just accept the fact that they don't and just keep a good relationship with them. Your mum's been down over the last few weeks. This year, she doesn't live too far away. When you are out there, when you're not injured, does she like coming to games? My whole family is AFC Boom of Addict. They watch all the games. I think I watch less games than them at the moment. Dream AFC beat? Yeah, they watch the streams. They are on it. They are literally AFC Boom of Addict. They need to know everything, every step. They're watching every game. Game, are they the first to text you, first to talk to you? Yeah, yeah, definitely. I get loads of calls now every day. How's the injury? You need to get back. Make sure you get back better. The team needs you. They're winning, making sure when you come back, you need to be in the team. They are on it. Obviously, we've talked about your family and your faith. On a match day, when you are fit, what's it like being an AFC Boomers player coming in? You've got your prayer room right next to the tunnel in the changing room. What's your sort of matchday routine? When I came in, they made a multi-faith prayer room just next to the changing room. I highly appreciate it because that gives me some sort of comfort before the game because I need to pray five times a day and times change every now and then. It takes out of my mind knowing that there's a place where I can just pray and relax for the game and make sure that I'm ready to go. I appreciate it highly that the club did that for me. Before the games, I'll just always come in, relax, make sure I ate properly. For me, my life is about football. Whenever there's a game, that's the best day of the week. I'm focused on the game and just make sure I want to perform on the pitch. I heard you say, Arnie, in a previous podcast, I was listening to you when preparing for this, that Bournemouth have been the best club in your career for accommodating your faith and making you certain from that point of view. Yeah, 100%. Throughout my career, there's no other club than Bournemouth that took care of me to the extent they have been doing so. That's why. Some of the things they did for you when you came to accommodate you? Obviously the prayer room you mentioned. Obviously the prayer room, but besides that, when I came in, Zayna was working here at the time, praying mat for me out. They have a different prayer room at the training ground. It's not only in the stadium. The food they made for me is halal as well, so they have been doing loads for me. Yeah. I was, again, reading and listening to some comments from you that just going right back to where it started, you said as a child, your friends maybe were going to the mosque, but you were football, football, football. And you wished maybe now you went to the mosque with them instead. That's as much as it, as strong as your faith is that back when you were younger, you actually wished you'd played less attention to football and more attention to your faith. Yeah, definitely. Because as I grew up, my faith became more important for me. Obviously football is my life, so being religious takes a bit of pressure of me as well, because literally my life's based around football. So yeah, I think when I was younger, if I would focus a bit more on my religion, I would be a bit further in my religion now. But obviously when I became older, I got more interest and I wasn't that interested when I was young. And all my friends were, I was just kicking balls on the street 24-7. So now I wouldn't say it's a bad thing because that took me where I am today. But if I would go back, I might have changed it a bit though, yeah. It took you to PSV as a youngster ultimately, didn't it? 11, I think, was that right when you joined PSV? Yeah, that's right. And then obviously went on to NEC when it didn't work out for you at PSV. PSV obviously is one of the giant names in Holland. I guess how much is there a regret if there is that you didn't quite make that first team appearance at PSV and when it came to the crunch, they said, you're not for us? Yeah, I've had some ups and downs in my career at PSV. Obviously, my personality is I want to succeed everywhere I am. So I had a couple of decisions at PSV. I had a couple of moments where I could leave the club, but I chose not to. That's because I'm always desperate to succeed wherever I am and I want to prove myself wherever I am. So it was a very tough and a hard decision for me at that time in my life to go to a different club. And I think if I can say that PSV regrets it as well because I think I've proven quite a lot already. But for me, there are no regrets with leaving PSV. They've done good for me as well. It was a great time in my life and I'm really grateful for the period of them taking care of me in my life, but there are no regrets for me. I went to NEC and obviously had a great two years and they contributed great to my career as well. Obviously, when you left PSV, as you say, you went to NEC, how much for you did it sort of drive you to not necessarily prove PSV wrong but make a point and as you say, you always wanted to succeed. You always want to succeed. How much did that sort of rejection from PSV turn this motivation? Now with me a lot. I mean, that's just the way my personality is. I always want to prove people wrong that I think the wrong thing is about me and I always want to sort of beg the arguments of people that think I'm a good player and I want to perform obviously and just let the world see what kind of player I am and I want to show my qualities on the pitch to the world. So obviously, PSV, like not having the faith in me reaching the first team that just gave me a stronger motivation in making sure that I would succeed in football and prove them wrong, yeah, obviously. As Chris said, you joined PSV aged 11. How difficult was it to then acclimatize, if at all, to a different club because you'd been there for so many years and all of a sudden you're moving and it's a different environment, a different setup? For me, it wasn't that hard. Yeah, because as I said, my life is about football. So wherever I go, I'm focused on football, playing football, making sure I perform, making sure I put the best performance on the pitch. So for me, like, needing to get used to a different environment isn't really difficult for me because, I mean, all the pitches are the same and my goals are always the same. I just need to make sure that the ball hits the net wherever I am so it's not very difficult for me to get used to a different environment now. With NEC, they got relegated then and for you, that kind of saw you have a different lease of life. You know, they went down a division and you seemed to fly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We went down a division and they changed the coach at that time and the coach that came then, Adri Bogus, was, in my opinion, is a great coach and he helped me really move forward. I like working with him and he got the best out of me and yeah, I appreciate him as a coach as well because he done a lot for me. What was it about him that made him so different that made him stand out for you? His way of training and his way of dealing with the lads, I mean, he was a coach that could really deal one-on-one with the players and I think I needed it at that time and besides that, he is a great coach in terms of the tactics and the way he wants to play and that suited me at that time and I could perform really well under him. Obviously moving from NEC to Bruges, geographically, it's not too far just across the border into Belgium but how different was it moving to suddenly you're out of Holland for the first time? Yeah, again, there weren't a lot of differences. I came there, settled in quite fast and I went to play in-game so for me it isn't really difficult to get used to a different environment. I came there, got my house, lived there and went training, kicked the ball and made sure I performed. I mean, for me it's about performing 24-7 wherever I am so if it's in Holland, in Belgium, UK, China, I don't care. How much of a pleasant surprise was it for you if it was at all when suddenly a club like Bournemouth because you hadn't played that many games for Bruges, had you really? Before you came here, suddenly they want to pay £13 million for you. How much did that pleasantly surprise you that after so few games that the Premier League came calling? If I need to be really honest, I wasn't really surprised because I done really well that season and obviously we pretty much played Champions League, I performed well in the Champions League, played for the Dutch national team, scored a goal against Belgium. They were I think the number one country in the world on the table of nations. So I wasn't really surprised. I done well just in a short time. But that went down well with your Bruges team, it's the Belgian ones anyway, you scored against Belgium. They were pissed though. As you say, maybe not surprised and maybe you weren't such a familiar name to Bournemouth fans but when you came in here, how does it change your mental outlook as a player when suddenly you cost £13 million, a massive fee? Does that suddenly put that expectation around your neck for people to sometimes use as a positive, sometimes use as a negative? I think it certainly comes along with the expectation but then again, I don't mind. I think it's reasonable if a club buys you for £30 million that you need to perform. So I kind of like the pressure that comes along with it because every club that will buy me, I always want to try and give them back what they deserve because obviously a club that buys you for a lot of money, they buy you for a reason so I always want to back the argument and make sure that I'm worth the money they're paying. I've got a quote from you here which she said a couple of months after joining Bournemouth, you said, I was firmly set on joining Bournemouth when I found out that they were interested in me and for you, what was it about Bournemouth that made it so different? Why Bournemouth? Why did you want to come here? Obviously the club isn't, it wasn't at the time, it wasn't maybe the biggest club in the Premier League and to be fair, I had other options as well but with AFC Bournemouth it was like a small club but it was more of a family feeling. The stadium isn't too big but the fans are always giving their best for the club. So it's just like, it might not have been the biggest club at the time in the Premier League but it was just such a family feeling, a warm club and I like that about the club. So for me it was when AFC Bournemouth came in like I knew straight away I wanted to go there. Did you speak to Nathan Akko before you joined, your teammates? Yeah, 100% and he gave me a heads up, he was like whatever your feeling is and the way you think about the club that is a warm club, it's like a family environment he's like yeah I can back that and if you come here you'll get the same feeling as me, it's a good club. So he kind of helped me coming here as well. I always get the impression with you, you and your teammates, you're so tight with each other after a game on social media when everyone's putting their posts up, you're the first one to comment and congratulations to your teammates on a good performance. Has that come naturally to you? Yeah, we have some great guys in the team and for me I think the better you are with your teammates off the pitch the better you'll perform on the pitch. You're 24-7 with each other in the end, you need to do it with the lads in the changing room so I think it's better to have a good relationship with them because you'll perform better on the pitch as well and it comes natural as well. Yeah, on and off the pitch I'm good with the lads and it's good that it comes natural and make sure you perform with them better on the pitch. We'd like to wait a little while for your debut obviously after you signed with a little bit of an injury but you made your debut at Burton on a Wednesday night in the League Cup when you lost to a low-division team the floodlights kept going out as well you've just come from a team that's playing at the Champions League Honestly, as you sat there watching the floodlights go out are you thinking what on earth am I doing here, what's happening? I think I need to leave the club now. Now, I can remember that game, yeah. We should have won to be honest, so I was pissed because it wasn't the best debut. Yeah, that game was a headache to be honest. I can't lie, that game was weird because the lights keep falling off and everything. We should have won, the gap was pissed. You remember it for the wrong reasons. Yeah, I remember it for the wrong reasons but on the other hand I was happy to make my debut and for me it's just another achievement I'll reach in my life. I made a debut for the club, on to the next one. Only six starts unfortunately in the Premier League last season for you with injuries. You were out from early December to the restart you came back briefly and then you missed the run-in as well. How much of a difference do you think you could have made if you'd been a fitter last season? I mean it sounds a horrible question to put to you but could it have been the difference between staying up and going down? No, it's not a horrible question at all. I think if I could have played more games I think we would have stayed in the Premier League if I need to be honest. I think I could have contributed a lot to the team and I think if I played more games we would have stayed in the Premier League that's my opinion. How hard was it for you to watch particularly having come back in the restart and things were going well in restart and then it just couldn't quite get going could it and it went to the wire but you said you're not good at watching games how hard is it to ever spell to watch games? Yeah, that was very frustrating as well obviously we weren't winning a lot of games I thought I should have played and it was such a difficult time for the club because obviously you want to win the game so badly and I could see why the Gaffers stick to his team because it's difficult changing a team when you're under a lot of pressure and you want to perform and you need to make sure that the club wins the games because otherwise you're going to relegate so it was a very weird and difficult time at the moment so for me it was important to make sure that I wasn't a drag for the coach if that makes any sense so I just trained hard to make sure I put my head down and did everything the coach wanted because obviously no one wanted to relegate and me neither so I think at that time of the season it was just important for me to put aside all my pride and everything regarding me as an individual and just make sure I contributed everything I could to the team and in my opinion I did in the end it wasn't enough Chris has mentioned that restart there but for you being in and around the squad how much of an impact do you think that had because just before the break we'd played quite well at Anfield albeit not the result we wanted we'd drawn 2-2 with Chelsea it looked like performances were starting to pick up a little bit but how much do you think that break really had an impact? I think it had a massive impact though but I wouldn't use it as an excuse either I said it this season as well to a lot of the lads last year I can remember the first game against Sheffield we drew I think we should have won that game and there were so many games that we played in a Premier League which we should have won or we shouldn't have lost I mean if you can't win you just need to make sure you don't lose because it will get you a point and in the beginning of the season it seems like ah it's just a point or it's just you'll get it right at the end of the season but in my opinion you should be on it in every game at the first start at the first game of the season so when this season started the new season started and I knew I was going to play so before it went out I made sure the lads knew even this season from the very first game sorry from the very first game we need to make sure that we get all the points because the points you're winning at the beginning of the season might be the ones that will take you to the Premier League at the end of the season and we've seen just how tight it is at the top of that championship so you know going into the start of the season with that in the forefront of your mind it's so important isn't it that you could pick up every single point that you can yeah yeah 100% you need to pick up every single point you can I mean in the end of the season it might be that point you need to go to the Premier League and I've seen in my career already we relegated with NEC on one point to less and obviously we relegated with Bournemouth and that was tight as well so it's a good life lesson learn from me and you just need to make sure it doesn't happen again in my career how hard for a player like you and I think of similar players in the team like David Brooks and others how hard is it to be consistent how hard is it to be the flair player making things happen every single week yeah I can't speak for Bruxy but for me I don't find it hard at all that's the reason I live I want to make sure that I have an impact on the team I want to make sure that I contribute to the team winning so that's just normal for me if that makes any sense I know when I step on the pitch I know the club bought me for a mess of fear and I need to make sure I perform I need to make sure that I still achieve the goals I want to achieve because obviously I'm ambitious as well so for me it comes natural every day I wake up and I train I need to make sure I perform the best on the training pitch and make sure that when we're playing games that I perform there good as well so it comes natural to me if that makes any sense we talked about your debut which maybe wasn't so memorable but your first goal obviously was a little while coming against Blackburn on the opening day of the season it won goal of the month as well it wasn't just a tap in how much did that mean to you as well in terms of saying right I'm not only going to get the assist in here and beat defenders I'm going to contribute some goals as well when we got relegated obviously everyone was pissed I went away came back but I got my head in the right place and I just needed to make sure that this season I need to perform so I came back this season after we got relegated did well scored against Benfica and preseason scored against West Ham in the preseason competition started scored against Blackburn scored goals played well so I mean I've been on it from day one and that's how I plan to go through the season and I just need to make sure that I perform every day and day out that's just where I am Well come on to your international hopes of getting back in the Holland setup shortly but what is the timescale in terms of when you feel like you need to be back in the Premier League or back in the top European League Yeah I'm still young like obviously I've played the Champions League already and I've been there so I know what it feels like what it feels like to play there so I'm very ambitious I've always been and I just want to get back to the top and perform there and show the world what I'm capable of So yeah basically I came as well because of Nathan and he just left me like that So if you're seeing this if you're seeing this you're very selfish No but obviously I'm ambitious that's one of the reasons why I came to AFC Bournemouth because it's such a good club in having players make the next step and there are certain players that have proven it already and I just hope I can help the club getting back to the Premier League because that's the main thing right now playing here, performing and making sure the club gets back to the Premier League For Arnaud, Vigil, do you need to go back to the Premier League with Bournemouth to then be able to make another step do you think? For me it's about getting AFC Bournemouth back in the Premier League and what happens after that I'm not really thinking about that at this moment it doesn't make sense I mean this club needs to go where it belongs we've played Premier League for five years so I think the club needs to be up there and needs to go back there We've just been talking about your contribution and your goals I just want to ask you about your celebration every time you score you sort of make a snake symbol with your hands just talk us through that where did that come from and what's that about? So when I was younger I played with a friend of mine and we always played five sides on the pitch and it was a difficult time for us in our lives at that moment so when it was difficult for us we always just took a ball went out on the street and played five sides with a lot of friends and a friend of mine I always competed against him because at that time I was the best of my team he was the best of his team so whenever we were playing five sides he was on the other side and when he used to win from me he used to do that symbol against me and it got me so pissed got me so pissed but we ended up being the best friends at this moment so when I score a goal I contribute the goal to him and that's the reason I'm doing the celebration You're obviously still in touch with him Yeah, obviously And for you those early memories from you to now be in stadiums obviously we're just starting to get fans back to be able to celebrate in front of the fans and stamp your mark on it that must be very special Yeah, 100% I mean I came back scoring a lot of goals and no fans in the stadium so I've kind of been celebrating for the camera instead of the fans but I'm really looking forward to the fans being back there they've been back already but obviously I haven't been on the pitch but I really want to play with the fans I mean I've missed that feeling Yeah, definitely You speak about celebrating in front of the camera it's been absolutely brilliant because when you scored this season you seem to have clocked where the AFTV TV cameras are you've come straight over Yeah, I've got a feeling of it now Are you aware of where they are before the game or is it just kind of instinct moment I've scored They're always on the same place when I score I always look left if they're not there they're on the right they either left or right from the goal And now we know that your family are watching the stream very closely you're effectively celebrating directly to them aren't you 100% I need to be careful what I say on the commentary now that I know your family are watching the stream Every word you say Every word I promise you I'm surprised you've turned up You mentioned they're growing up and going back we know you've spoken about it quite a lot before I know you've said every single interview people ask you about the start in terms of how your start compared to where you are now do you feel like you had to overcome a lot when you got started even getting as far as FC Earth your first team or getting to PSV Yeah 100% I've had to overcome a lot but then again I think like the strongest soldiers overcome the strongest battles so I don't necessarily see it as a burden I see it more as a blessing in my opinion because it made me the person I am today and because I need to overcome a lot of things I mean that made me stronger today I think I think it's only good that through life you go through a lot because it makes you stronger and it makes you like I'm mentally prepared for whatever comes my way it helps me on the pitch I want to win 24x7 for me it's about winning, winning, winning and I think I became this way because I needed to overcome a lot of things You got treated differently when you were maybe younger because of maybe the background or some of the things that you had going on in your family I've read some comments about you having to get the train or getting a lift to training where everybody else was driving flashy cars Do you think you got treated differently? 100% without a doubt Is it fair? No Did I need to get along with it and get the best out of it? Yes I mean life is unfair for whatever reason and I've always been that way I mean I know life is unfair but instead of sitting in the sofa and just watching a lot of series I think I can better stand up and make something the best of my life You say now that a lot of the things you do to help other people and to inspire other people because maybe you felt like you didn't get as much help from certain people maybe in the footballing world when you were growing up as you felt like you should have done Yeah, definitely I mean I appreciate life because I need to go through a lot of things that changed my view on the world and it changed my perspective So wherever I am in my life I always try to help other people as well I mean even if I say it myself there are a lot of things that I do off the pitch I try to help other people where no one knows about because I kind of never tell anyone because I feel then it's for the wrong reasons I mean I can go on this podcast and tell all the good things I've been doing but then I'll just do it to get myself hyped and that's not the reason I've been doing I generally want to help other people and make sure they get set in life as well And of course people assume that with status and with money and being a top level footballer that life is rosy and life is everything that you see on social media but of course it isn't and every player has their problems either football, injuries, whatever is that something is that a misconception because everybody is a person that if you have money and you have status that you don't have any problems No, that's a very wrong statement 100% I mean in my opinion materialistic things money, cars, everything you can name it there's no end to it I mean if that's your life and goal you'll end up on a road which has no end there's no light at the end of the tunnel if you chase cars or you chase money because there always be more money if you have too many if you have too many you want a billion so for me it's about making sure what you appreciate in life and that will keep you on the right path definitely In terms of your background obviously it was tough for you at times when you were growing up does that help keep you grounded now? Yeah, definitely definitely Yeah, because what I've went through changed my perspective and the way I see things in life that keeps me definitely grounded now and I appreciate a lot of things in life which I didn't use so appreciate if that makes any sense so definitely my view has changed since I'm younger and that helps me at this time in my life as well Do you ever sort of think back to those times and you see yourself now out there you've been playing in the Premier League you're obviously playing in the Championship this season that must make you feel immensely proud seeing where you've come from and where you are now Yes and no it makes me proud because I always appreciate where I'm at life but then again as I said I'm very ambitious very very very ambitious I play for the Dutch national team which still burdens me because I didn't have a great season last year so I'm desperate of getting back there as well and I'm doing everything I can on the pitch and I'm confident I'll get back there I play Champions League I want to go back there as well last year I didn't perform for the club as I think I could not necessarily because I couldn't but yeah the injuries just set me back so I would say yes and no I mean I'm still very ambitious I'm grateful and I'm thankful where I'm now I'm at a good place I'm at a good club a good league to show myself in we have great stuff one of the best stuff I've worked in my life and that's no lie so I'm in a great place but then again I'm so ambitious and there's so much I want to achieve so I'm definitely not done yet In terms of internationally I think me and Chris were talking before about players that have been called up for Holland Tim Krull for example he's playing in the championship and he's still getting that call up You don't want to piss me off though so that same week when he got called up I scored a goal against him so why am I not getting called up So you should have been called up but for you seeing Tim Krull getting called up and playing in the same league as him it obviously goes to show that I was, to be fair, wasn't the league called up because that means they're watching the league and I think they should because the championship is definitely definitely tougher than the Dutch league I mean there's no comparison if any club wins here 13-0 or 6-0 I'm quitting I mean the league is so much better in so many ways so much tougher so much difficult so I'm happy that they are watching the league obviously I'm just not happy that they haven't called me up yet I suppose if you're slightly worried hearing that if Bournemouth tonks somebody you're going to quit because they've scored five against Huddersfield so before you're in it in a minute as a team they're going to be a bit worried you're off You mentioned the Holland situation there obviously did you have a tough choice between Holland and Nigeria or was it a straightforward one because obviously you left Nigeria when you were very young but your mum is Nigerian Yeah my mum was Nigerian but I've always been in charge of my own choice there's no family pressure there's no pressure at all they always told me choose where your heart belongs and at the moment when I could play for Holland I was more than happy to play for Holland and I'm still more than happy to play for Holland obviously if I need to be honest I think the rules have changed if you have one cap you can still switch and there will be a certain time in my career where I maybe might need to make a choice and change scenery if that makes any sense but at this moment knowing that they caught up to him they're watching the league I'll just need to make sure I do all and I'm confident I'll get back in there 100% We're pretty much out of time Arnie but we have got a couple of quickfire fans questions so these are nice short, sharp ones I'll give you the first one would you rather play alongside a prime Lionel Messi or prime Cristiano Ronaldo Ronaldo Okay That answers that one What is your favourite position on the pitch that one's from Danny Whitelock I would say left winger Why don't I play at top as well on number 10 or a bit more to the right I don't mind but if I would say a favourite position that would be left winger, definitely Oliver Ribe, we've already asked you a question about the goal celebration Cheryl on Twitter wants to know what is the best goal you've scored in your career The best goal I would say the goal against Atlético Madrid or the goal with the Dutch national team against Belgium but maybe the goal with AFC Bournemouth against Black Well saved Got some angry faces over there so I need to mention that And there's one from James here How powerful is it when you take the knee before a game and how important is it to support It's very powerful I think it shows a lot of respect to the Black community but on the other hand and I've said it before and I'll say it again I don't necessarily think that it's a lot to what's going on right now I think if there's there needs to be a change I think the only way of making a massive change is you just need to make sure that the next generation get educated in the right way I don't necessarily think taking a knee will change a lot of the situation in the world but it is definitely a strong feel Arnie we're bang out of your time I know, so we just wanted to say on behalf of the fans who've been listening to this it's been really interesting to get an insight into the dressing room and into your life and back story as well, so thank you so much for talking to us thank you a lot for inviting me on the podcast Well Zoe how good was that to be taken inside the dressing room just to get a view on the current situation obviously the frustration of Arnie's injuries and of course somebody's got really such an interesting backstory as he has and how he got here to Bournemouth in the first place Absolutely, I mean in episode 1 we got a perspective from someone higher up in the club and to go inside the dressing room now it's a fantastic insight and to have him for the amount of time that we did to talking to players after a game or before a game in three or four minutes snippet so to have him for the best part 45 minutes has been brilliant I think that's one of the beauties of the official AFC Bournemouth podcast is that we are able to get beyond those me and you do it every single week we do the pre-match or the post-match interviews where it's always a little bit of a rush players emotions are either running high or low there might be some mowers going off in the background it's so good to be able to sit down and talk at length with people and just hear a little bit more about them on team sheets or the back of their shirt but actually people have such good back stories Absolutely and when we're talking to them after a game we're so often talking about the game you're not ever talking about their background or their international career you're talking about what's happened there and then so to be able to have a perspective of someone like Arnat Dhanjim who's played for his country he's obviously from a different country he's played in Belgium and it's a fascinating insight and amazing to hear where he wants to go with his career and how ambitious he really is so it's always great to hear a little bit more of the characters behind the names on the faces that you've become so familiar with worth pointing out as well that Arnie's rehab of course is top priority at the moment so this one a little bit shorter than our previous podcast with the Arnie's rehab schedule if you like giving us the time available that we had don't forget if there's a particular player or member of staff or somebody at the club that you would like to hear from then don't forget to let us know and use the hashtag AFCBpod don't forget to mention and to share us including who you'd like to see on the podcast in future and maybe some questions or reasons why you'd like to see them on and don't forget also to subscribe wherever you're listening as well to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast it's afcb.co.uk for all the club updates on upcoming matches as we head through the very busy festive schedule and of course you'll be able to find out when you can listen to the next edition of the official AFC Bournemouth podcast you can continue to watch the games live of course via your match pass on AFCB TV live in the meantime we hope though to see you back here at the stadium very shortly from myself Chris Temple, from Zoe Rundle and from our guest Arnaud Danjuma thanks for listening and wish you a very happy Christmas