Carlos Vela re-signs for Real Sociedad in club record £15m deal
Carlos Vela has been signed for a second time by Real Sociedad after the Basque side ‘bought-out’ Arsenal’s £3.5m buy-back clause.
The 25-year-old previously signed for Arsenal in January 2006 as a 17-year-old and was shipped out on loan to Spanish minnows Salamanca and Osasuna before finally making his Gunners debut in 2008.
Mexican international Vela gained further experienced on loan at West Brom and Sociedad, before making the latter move permanent in 2011. He scored just 11 goals in his six years in north London and found first team chances difficult to come by.
But he particularly excelled in Spain last season, netting 16 times in 34 games, prompting Arsenal to activate a buy-back clause inserted in his contract for £3.5 million.
After weeks of negotiations Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay and Arsenal’s chief deal maker Richard Law have agreed a deal which will see Vela re-sign for the La Liga side in a deal worth around £15million, with Arsenal set to receive £10m from the transfer.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will enter the transfer market for a new striker this summer, with Nicklas Bendtner now released. Yaya Sanogo is still developing, leaving France international Olivier Giroud as the club’s only reliable frontman.
However, Vela’s insistence on staying at the Anoeta Stadium has forced Wenger to look for a different striking option with the likes of Mario Balotelli reportedly at the top of the Frenchman’s transfer wish list.
Wenger’s decision to allow Sociedad to obtain the full rights to Vela could open the door for Costa Rica youngster Joel Campbell who has impressed throughout the World Cup so far.
Campbell has spent the previous three seasons on loan around Europe at Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiakos, but is expected to be given his chance to impress during pre-season..
So all the initial talk of Arsenal resigning him turned out to be sill season bollocks. We were never really interested in bringibg back but instead wanted Real Sociedad to buy a player they already had. Amazing piece of business by Arsenal.
Vela altho talented never really showed the necessary cojones to make it in England. Whereas Joel has already shown great strength of character in playing and settling in 3 different leagues and countries at such a young age.
He seems to me at least better suited for the hurly burly of the PL.
I hope so anyways.
UTA!
@mzithemba: Yes, it is very good business. I don’t understand why your being sarcastic. If you was in the situation where you could get an extra 10 million of effectively free money, why wouldn’t you? I think I know why. It’s because then you wouldn’t have anything to moan about.
@dave:
a well whetted response to a moaner
Bringing Vela back relied on him WANTING to come back, not because we couldn’t do it otherwise, but because we wouldn’t want a player who didn’t want to be here. Others like Campbell and Aurier clearly DO, so let’s rather have them around. Otherwise you get a big sulk on the bench when he doesn’t play.
Please! please bloggers could you kindly refrain from misleading your readers, in the above article you stated that Carlos Vela was signed by Arsenal but the club failed to obtain work permit, that statement is not true, Vela played for Arsenal but could not break in to the first team he was loan to Bolton before he was shipped to Spain.
It was Joel Cambell whom the club failed to obtain work permit for but not Vela.
I would suggest it would better not to have a say on stories you have not confirmed yourself.
Abraham,
It might be worth you taking your own advice.
Arsenal signed 17 year old Vela in 2006, and could not get a special permit for him, so he was loaned out to Spanish clubs, as mentioned, and in 2008 they did manage to get one for him and he was eventually loaned out to Bolton etc when he could not get game time in the Arsenal first eleven.
Actually… Carlos Vela was signed by Arsenal in ’05 and failed to obtain a work permit until ’08. He was subsequently sent on loan to Celta Vigo, Ossasuna and Salamanca to gain experience in Spain. It wasn’t until 2011 that he was loaned to West Brom (not Bolton) after failing to break into the first team. In comparison to Vela, Campbell’s work permit was obtained with relative ease…
@Abraham: when Carlos was signed, he had not played 4 his country so he was refused work permit,he was loaned out 2 Salamanca, so brother, the writer is right.
Yeah….Great work by Arsenal, make $10,000,000 so we can in add it to the funds we are preparing to use, to sign an overrated, lazy, horrible attitude player, who when subbed off will publicly give the club a bad name. Then he will go and burn his house down after the game for a reason he doesn’t have. And then he will be sold back to Ac Milan for half the price we bought him, where he will ruin their season as well. Or better yet, we will use that $10,000,000 million to talk about how we wanna sign so many players, and come round 2 after we’ve lost our first game at home to Villa or whatever, we will sign a last minute player for 45 million, who hasn’t had a pre season and the fans will blame that player for us not being able to stay in the title race.
The wrongest comment I’ve ever seen
Calos Vela is still developing. Not yet a world class striker that ARSENAL needs. Selling him is good for more transfar kitty. But we can have up to four striking force.
wenger 4get abt vela nd look gud striker…talk to ur guy nd motivate them….4more trophy..
That was a very gud business I like dat. bt the problem I have wit arsenal is they are in talk wit mr a and b bt they will neva sign pls wenger sign balotelli for us pls