Arsene Wenger has made many a shrewd move during his time at Arsenal, bringing the likes of Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry to the club, both went on to become key members of the famous Invincibles side – both became club legends. The Gunners boss has also made a few poor decisions regarding transfer both in and out of the club, but one who has stolen the hearts of many is Spanish midfielder and ambidextrous superstar Santi Cazorla.
The 30-year-old former Villarreal player has impressed since coming to north London, with his passing ability, vision and good-hearted nature both on and off the pitch impressing the eyes and ears of many.
With Santi somewhat of an unknown quantity in England during his days in his native Spain, Arsene Wenger admitted to Arsenal.com that he had heard about the now-Gunners star at a young age and despite his small stature providing a gamble in a league of physicality, the Frenchman says that it was a gamble he couldn’t resist.
You could question whether he was physically equipped to play in the tough Premier League.
It’s true that I had that doubt, but his quality was so big that I was ready to take that gamble.
His technical quality, his right foot, left foot, his availability, his vision and the quality of his passing made me go for it.
I thought, ‘If there is a team in the Premier League where he has a chance to make it, it’s with us.’ That’s why I went for it.
Having identified Santi at a young age, Wenger used former Arsenal winger Robert Pires as a scout, with the former-Arsenal man praising the Spanish midfielder highly.
I think I first saw him when he was about 20 or 21.
He was not a regular player, but in some games we watched you could see he had talent.
After that Robert Pires moved to Villarreal and played with him. Sometimes I asked Robert, ‘Are there any good players there?’
He said to me straight away, ‘Cazorla is a fantastic player’. So Robert was a scout for me! He at least confirmed the impression I already had about Santi.
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