Santos Unhappy At Arsenal

Santos Unhappy At Arsenal

Andre Santos has conceded that he is unhappy at returning to Arsenal after the defender spent 6 successful months on loan at his native Brazil, where he played for Gremio.

Santos had a rough time with the Gunners when he arrived, and could not settle into the intensity of the Barclays Premier League. Clubs always fear this with foreign buys, and that is exactly what happened with the full back, who struggled to cope with the quick nature of the game. A notable struggle as such was seen with Andriy Shevchenko, who was touted as one of the best strikers in the world, when he made a multimillion pound move from AC Milan to Chelsea, but only started in 48 league matches in three years, scoring just 9 goals in the period.


Arsene Wenger has had a tough time covering the left back position, after the sale of Gael Clichy to Manchester City. Reliable as he was, Clichy played 187 matches for Arsenal, and covered the left back spot for a long period, before he was sold. Since then, Kieran Gibbs became the natural replacement for Clichy, but struggled with injuries in recent times. This has led to club skipper Thomas Vermaelen having to cover for the spot, leading to grumbles from the club’s supporters.

The Brazilian’s career began in native Brazil, where he spend most of his initial years. The 30-year old had spells at Figueirense and Corinthians, before making a move to Turkish giants Fenerbache in 2009. Santos was signed by Wenger from Fenerbache in 2011, in a fee believed to be in the region of £5 million. Ever since, the defender has just managed to make 25 Premier League starts, scoring 2 goals.

It remains to be seen whether Santos is received well by Wenger, who is currently in the process of a spending spree to boost his squad strength.

According to the Metro, Santos has spoken about his discontent at the situation, explaining the contractual scenario between the Gunners and Gremio.

Santos said, “My loan deal is over. It was six months long and now I am returning. Gremio had an agreement with Arsenal and I have to return,”

“I wanted to stay. Gremio were fair regarding everything. I felt well there and I wanted to win a title before leaving.”

“Unfortunately there is no deal and I had to return to Arsenal.”

The player’s wages could have proved to be a big stumbling block in converting a loan deal into a permanent one. Arsenal fans will hope Santos can learn from his initial years at the club, and perform better next season.