Santi Cazorla shone in the Premier League under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and he’s now rolling back the years in La Liga with Villarreal.
Santi Cazorla has admitted that he would ‘love’ to return to Arsenal at some point in the future while backing under-fire coach Unai Emery in an interview with The Independent.
Cazorla might not have scribed his name into Gunners folklore a la Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira or Dennis Bergkamp but the affable 34-year-old will always be remembered fondly in North London.
The fleet-footed Spaniard remains one of Arsenal’s most gifted footballers of the Emirates era with his twinkling toes and penchant for stunning set-pieces bringing joy to everyone who had the pleasure of watching him skip and twirl across the turf.
Even in his mid-30s, Cazorla remains as influential as ever. He returned to Villarreal in 2018 and, after a series of horrific injuries, has defied all expectations to re-establish himself as one of the most instrumental players in the whole of La Liga.
The 79-time Spain international is fully aware, however, that he is in the autumn of his playing career. Though he would seize the chance to return to Arsenal in an off-field role, potentially following in the footsteps of Freddie Ljungberg, Steve Bould or new technical director Edu.
“I don’t know what I will do afterwards – maybe a coach, maybe a sporting director – but I would love to go back to Arsenal. I lived in London for six years. My son loved it there. In the future, we will see if I have the possibility,” said a man who joined The Gunners from Malaga for around £15 million in 2012 (BBC).
The ever-positive Cazorla has also implored those disgruntled Arsenal fans to keep the faith in Emery, despite a horror run which has seen The Gunners score just twice in open play during their last eight games.
“Unai Emery is a good coach and it’s a very good team, I watch them play often, but he needs time,” he tells the Independent. “It’s a new generation and it’s very difficult to compete against teams like Man City and Liverpool. It’s difficult to know [why the club has stalled]. They have the players, they have the fans, the stadium, they have everything to do it but they have to believe it.”
It remains to be seen whether Emery is still at the helm if, or when, Cazorla does return.
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