Why Santi Cazorla is at Arsenal vs Ipswich as club icon returns to the Emirates Stadium

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Arsenal fans will be greeted by the welcome return of Santi Cazorla as the former player comes back to north London for the Premier League clash with Ipswich Town.

The 40-year-old had a six-year stint at the Emirates Stadium, where he was seen as a magician for some of the things he could do with the ball.

Santi Cazorla went on to win two FA Cups and two Community Shields in his time at Arsenal, before moving on to Villarreal.

Since then he has featured for Al-Sadd in Qatar and now his boyhood club Real Oviedo in the Spanish second tier.

While Cazorla is in the twilight of his career, he is still going strong and will be seen once again at Arsenal on Friday night.

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Why is Santi Cazorla at Arsenal vs Ipswich?

Santi Cazorla has been invited back to the Emirates Stadium, with the former Arsenal icon making an appearance pitchside.

He will feature on the club’s official broadcast on YouTube, called Live from N5, before the match and will give his thoughts before the match.

An interview in front of the supporters will take place at 8pm, just 15 minutes before kick-off, where there will be plenty of questions asked.

It will be an opportunity to give the midfielder a warm welcome back and a lovely send-off, given how his career was impacted by injury.

The star spent almost two years on the sidelines through injury before leaving in 2018 for Villarreal.

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What was Santi Cazorla’s last game at Arsenal?

While Cazorla left in 2018, his last game for Arsenal actually came in 2016 during a Champions League clash with Ludogorets.

The Gunners won 6-0, but in the process the midfielder had to be substituted after suffering an injury.

The Spaniard suffered from several Achilles Tendon problems, requiring ten different surgeries to solve his problems.

In the end, Cazorla didn’t make another appearance for Arsenal afterwards, but has managed to continue playing football.

His career with the Gunners ended up looking quite impressive but could’ve been even better if he wasn’t mired with injuries.

There’s always a question of ‘What if?’ with Cazorla at Arsenal, but fans will get another chance to show their love for the midfielder when he returns.