Premier League duo Everton and Spurs were both linked with Jose Arnaiz but Barcelona have now sold him to La Liga outfit Leganes instead
Jose Arnaiz could not have made a bigger impact in his first few weeks in the Barcelona first-team.
The talented winger scored a stunner on his debut in a 3-0 Copa Del Ray win against Real Murcia. He then scored in the second leg, and again versus Celta Vigo shortly after. In fact, Arnaiz scored with each of his first three shots as a Barca player.
No wonder Everton and Tottenham Hotspur were hoping to sign him in the January transfer window, according to Mail and Diario Gol, despite a hefty £17.6 million buyout clause.
Promising and creative, Arnaiz certainly fit the bill for two Premier League sides scouring the continent for the next generation of superstars.
But seven months later, Arnaiz has moved for a fraction of that price – and Everton and Spurs were nowhere to be seen.
According to Goal, the 23-year-old former Valladolid youngster has joined plucky La Liga underdogs Leganes for a bargain fee of just over £4 million. This comes after Diario Gol claimed that Arnaiz wanted to leave the Camp Nou if he was not immediately challenging for a first-team place in Ernesto Valderde’s side.
Though it is a surprise that Barca, who have been heavily criticised in years for overlooking youth, have let Arnaiz go for such a small fee.
And the fact that Everton and Spurs didn’t make a move before it was too late should raise some questions too.
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