We signed Carlos Vela in November 2005 when he was just 16 years of age. It took almost 3 years before he was granted a work permit in May 2008, which finally allowed him to play football in England.
Despite the arduously long wait, the hype surrounding Carlos never faded.
Arsene Wenger was clearly always a huge believer in the young forward from Mexico. And no doubt, we’ve seen glimpses of utter class from him over the years, that has clearly justified the ongoing hype.
However, for me, he has never been able to prove himself as the truly class player, he was always meant to be.
I acknowledge that he has done some wonderfully special things during his time in North London, but I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels the Premier League isn’t the place where he’ll be able to deliver his full potential.
From my point of view, I believe La Liga is the league where he could fulfill his full potential to the world.
He’s a very quick, neat and precise footballer, who I feel would benefit playing in Spain as he’d get more time on the ball to do his own thing, consistently.
He also wouldn’t have the problem of having to go “up North” to play Stoke City in the snow, on a Monday night in December.
Some will argue that he needs to play more at Arsenal – and part of me agrees with that. I will always be a firm believer in giving games, chances and opportunities to upcoming talent – but I’ll stick my neck out here and say that this idea just isn’t productive.
It would mean we would have to drop either Samir Nasri, Jack Wilshere or Theo Walcott/Andrei Arshavin to account for his inclusion in the team.
Although Sky like to think we are, we’re not a Sunday league side.
We can’t feel sorry for our players because they’re not getting enough games and play them just to make them happy. Of course, we need to rotate our side here and there, but we should be looking to start with our best side every game.
Every successful football team has had realistic and logical tactics, formations and starting line-ups.
Every footballer needs to demand their place in the starting eleven, through their performances on the pitch. They can’t expect to cruise into the side – especially a side that’s competitive as ours.
The latest reports are suggesting Anderlecht are going to come in and try to sign the Mexican forward, so a deal could be done sooner than later.
If he does go, it will be a bitterly sad end to the story. I will miss him, but like all of you, every fan needs to realise when the time is right for players to move on.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
