From Arsenal’s next big thing to convicted drug smuggler – the sad fall of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

He had already endured an underwhelming loan spell at Blackpool by then, and a few months after Wenger’s public praise was sent for a similarly difficult period at Cardiff.

The academy hero left for good in 2011 in search of an environment that would allow him to blossom but instead found his talent withering with each disappointment.

Emmanuel-Thomas often made a bright first impression due to his physique and control, but he simply couldn’t sustain it for long.

In the Championship with Ipswich, he had a promising first season but lost his place in the starting XI the following campaign and left, with manager Mick McCarthy saying: “I told him that I don’t see them as being part of my plans going forward and they are free to look for another club.

“I just don’t think Jay’s fulfilled all his potential at our place.”

He appeared to have found his level in League One with Bristol. Bringing out his goalscoring prowess, he scored 15 in the 2013-14 league campaign and showed off his creative skills with a few assists. Again, he returned to find his spot had been taken the following season, but he still managed to work his magic once or twice.

“Jay was first class,” manager Steve Cotterill said after the forward engineered a 4-0 win against Notts County in January 2015. After going on a smart run and teeing up the first goal, he controlled the ball in the box and smashed home their third.

“It’s not just that he can do the things that entertain supporters, his work-rate is even more important. The key to his contribution was his awareness of where the ball was all the time. The more he runs in a game, the more his quality will shine through.”

Playing over 100 games for Bristol, it was the best spell of his career.

Queens Park Rangers brought him back to the Championship but also gave up on him quickly and he found no joy on loan at MK Dons and Gillingham.

In 2019, Emmanuel-Thomas opted for a “change of scenery” and joined PTT Rayong, who had just been promoted to the top league in Thailand. “I lived right on the beach,” he said. “You came out of my apartment, crossed the road, and you were on the beach. The weather was really nice. I had no complaints whatsoever about my life. It was great for me.”

That venture lasted just three months as the club folded in the middle of the season because of financial troubles.

After almost 18 months without a club, Scottish side Livingston signed the attacker based on what they saw in training, but it was the same old story: flashes of promise amid long periods of nothing.

He made a darting run across the box to meet a low cross and fire in the equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Celtic in January before scoring with a fantastic flick in a 2-1 win against Hamilton.

“I was thinking of [Thierry] Henry’s goal against Manchester United [in 2000] when I scored it,” he told The Athletic of the Hamilton strike.

Livi manager David Martindale said to The Times: “Technically, Jay is one of the very best I’ve seen. He has got such great feet, his touch and ability are frightening. I swear to God, ability-wise he is the best footballer at Livingston FC.

“In sheer technical ability I think we could have one of the best players in the league.”

Aberdeen gave him a two-year contract, but he flopped there, too, leaving after 14 league appearances and with coach Jim Goodwin saying the player was “not fit enough to play the type of football that I want us to play.”

Another international adventure followed – this time in India – but again lasted just a few months.

Soon, he ended up in the Scottish Championship.