With his history of acute homesickness could Jesus Navas genuinely leave his beloved Seville for a crack at the Premier League?
Arsenal have had a topsy-turvy love affair with the transfer market this summer. On the one hand charming their way to the transfers of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla but then next minute finding themselves hurt by affairs of the heart as Alex Song and Robin Van Persie joined dream clubs.
With yet another unwelcome influx of wealth at Arsenal several names are being bandied around as potential newcomers after a disturbingly impotent opening fixture against Sunderland. One name that is being linked with The Gunners now is Sevilla’s winger Jesus Navas.
There is no doubting his pedigree, a regular in the Spain squad and a consistent performer in La Liga for many years. He fits the Arsenal mould; technically gifted with a turn of pace and eye for an incisive pass. At 26 he has still to hit his prime and Arsenal fans would love to see him reach this point at The Emirates.
But a dream deal for the flying Spaniard is unlikely. Will he want to play for Arsenal, of course, who wouldn’t? A team regularly in the Champions League playing an exciting brand of football in one of the world’s most exciting cities of course he would want to play for The Gunners.
But if the football fanatics will recall this is a man who has suffered in the past, quite severely in fact, with homesickness and anxiety. In 2006 he rejected a potential move to Chelsea due this very reason and he originally retired from international football after suffering from his severe acute homesickness.
This isn’t a home sickness that affects him out of the country, it is a home sickness that effects him outside of Seville and the thought of him now suddenly upping his roots and moving to London seems a little fantastical even for this believer of football miracles.
In recent years his condition has improved however and he has been a consistent presence in the Spanish team for the last 2 years travelling all over the world and participating at this summer’s Euro’s without any problems, spending an entire month away from his beloved hometown.
He has achieved amazing feats already to overcome his mental frailties and he may consider a move abroad as a final achievement on his progression from the homesickness that debilitated him for much of his younger career.
Will Arsenal want to spend upwards of £15 million on a player who may want to cancel said contract and return home in a heartbeat however is another posing question. Jesus has done well but considering his past a permanent move away from Seville seems above unlikely and Arsenal would not risk such money on something as fragile as the human psyche.
This rumour seems to be nothing more than just that, rather than the resonance of truth as the idea of Jesus Navas, despite all his amazing progress, moving to a new city, culture, and country is just not plausible.
images: © Ronnie Macdonald, © amg lincuden
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