As we reported nine days ago, Wellington Silva has completed a loan move to Spanish side (Manuel) Almeria.
The 21-year-old, who put pen-to-paper on a five year deal at Arsenal in January 2010, hasn’t yet mustered an appearance for the first team, although his return to La Liga marks (on paper anyway) an upturn in fortune after three seasons plying his trade in the lower leagues of Spain.
Wellington was initially farmed out on loan to Levante in 2011 in the hope they’d polish his raw talent only for his behaviour and love of pizza to grab more headlines than his football.
After spells at Alcoyano, Ponferradina and Murcia he has another opportunity to make a name for himself on the big stage, although it looks very unlikely he’ll ever pull on the red and white of the Gunners.
Wellington isn’t the first young talent to move from South America to North London and not cut the mustard. Bolivian Samuel Galindo, who is still on the books at the Emirates, appears to be in his homeland playing for Jorge Wilstermann (apparently a club, not some random bloke) while Pedro Botelho was cut loose two years ago after five consecutive loans and now plys his trade in Cyprus.
Good luck. Skill wise he had what was needed & would have been good if he had made it with us.
What is the point of having this kid on the books and tossed around all over Spain? The club should cut him loose and give him a chance to establish himself at a club. All this moving around from team to team and manager to manager can’t be doing him any good.
I suspect having Arsenal as his parent club probably opens more doors. We gave him a five-year contract so he’s our responsibility. As a club we can’t simply cut him (and others like him) loose because they don’t match expectations and then call on players higher up the food chain to respect their own deals. In the grand scheme of things his wages will be low (and likely covered in part by loan clubs) and we’ve a responsibility to look after those who travel half the globe at such a young age.
If they ‘cut him loose’ they have to pay him the outstanding on his contract.
He could ‘turn the corner’ this year and become another ‘Vela’, so why get rid of him?
Exactly.
Loyalty goes 2 ways, when our club isn’t doing well and a player wants to leave we hate on them. Now if a player isn’t doing too well, the least we could do is honour the contract or maybe sell him if a permanent offer comes in if he wants to leave.
Cutting the player lose by termination of contract before it’s over isn’t something a club with our classy standards should be doing.
Plus, with the world of football (especially among agents) being so incestuous, if we were to “cut him loose” it wouldn’t do our reputation for giving youth a chance any good. I am sure we have had a number of young players come to us for that very reason.
At least this way, we are giving him an opportunity to show that he is developing well and warrants being bought back to London Colney to train with the squad.
Why would we cut him loose when he knows all the best pizza joints around Europe?
Since quite a few of you will do this right after reading the article, I save you time fellow Gooners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Jorge_Wilstermann Fascinating stuff. I love the Internets.
A hangover from Arsene’s cheap, dodgy, South American period.
What, you mean that South American period where he bought players like Alexis Sanchez? I hope that one never ends.
Apparently he’ll gain Spanish citizenship next season, so might at least be able to play some part in next years pre-season.
Lets hope he has a good season in La Liga, cos this is literally his last chance of ever having an Arsenal career.
Won’t his contract with us have ended before next years pre-season?
jesus have we got him on some kind of 10 year alan pardew contract in the hope that he will one day turn out world class? if he was any good he’d be showing it now and we’d have no probs getting a work permit.
Grim
Imagine if he actually ends up making it at Arsenal!
At one stage this kid was better than Neymar, he out-performed Neymar at one of the youth World Cups
I sort of remember that, in some ways we screwed him over, in others he did himself no favours. I think the lack of work permit (and a lack of professionalism, both on his and his loan clubs’ part) stunted his growth as a player.
When given the chance to train with our other youth team players he was really rather good. If we’d got a ‘special talent’ permit he could have wound up in the Selecao (they had Fred and Jo as strikers FFS).
Really you don’t want to take players like this too young and I think Silva is another victim of this. Moving across the globe to a new country, language and culture is hard enough at any age – let alone at the age when he signed! Players should be given time to develop as players and men in their home country then taken aboard. I know it’s hard when clubs want to save a load of money, but in the long run we are only helping people like this out.
Good for him. Kind of irrelevant from Arsenal point of view.
Not every 21 year old can make the jump from care free teenager to responsible professional, not so much a damming statement for him as it is a compliment to those that have.
Poor boy, he should just be sold off.
No need to put the boot into Wellington, not the first and won’t be the last youngster from abroad not to make it. Good luck at Almeria.
Well played on the boot and Wellington connecting – I enjoyed that.
I miss Samuel Galindo, his name was fantastic for anagrams:
Glued on salami, lodges Almunia, a sullied mango, soiled anal mug, etc.
Shame he wasn’t as good at football. Hey ho.
Fantastic work Döuble
Not really, some peoples names are just suited for anagrams.
Wellington Silva makes the appropriate “still leaving now”, but is otherwise a bit crap for making them.
That…is perfect.
The best Arsenal / ex-Arsenal anagram ever is still Robin van Persie = Penis Over Brain.
“Manuel Almeria”…saw what you did there bloggs.
I wactched him play @ Nigeria 2009 and I must confess He got the talent. But there are other factors that determine the success of a player and some of the factors are.. 1. maturity level of the player 2. Age of the player(not that a factor) 3. Behavioural attitude of the player 4. Willingness to learn 5. Environmental factor 6. Did the player settle at the club and finally the skills. Of all what I said the only thing I think Wellignton have is SKILLS, very skillful but the others? No. I learnt that his behaviours are nothing to… Read more »
He seemed to me to have more technical ability than many players who “make it”. He was very agile and tricky and I was so excited when we signed him but he didn’t have the mental maturity.
Not every playr show their poyential at 21. Think Lallana or Lambert. If he can be as good as them he can make a decent career as far as he is concerned
yeah, and they’re still not showing it now!
With all due respects to photography, this photo makes it look like he’s just sat on a drawing pin.
It will probably be a nice change for him to get away from London colney for a bit
I think we need an ‘ArsenalB’ team playing in a lower league if that’s accepted.
I am from Croatia, from Split. In our local club Hajduk (we beat Mutd 6:0 in one frendly) there is one briliant talent. He is 17, and this season is in first 11 so far. He even scored in Ireland against Dundalk in EL qualifications few days ago. His name is Nikola Vlasic and he is brother of Blanka Vlasic, second best high jump female ever. The main thing is that her trainer was her father. And he was loking for Niksi atlethics development too. The kid plays in the middle, can play and shoot with both legs, has great… Read more »
mark my word fellow gunners, even as bleak as his future is wellington will make a career at arsenal
Press keeps saying this bloke is highly rated.
Stewart Plonker Robson keeps having a go at Arsenal isolating him from improvement (as if we are the only team with mediocre brazilians, at least he isn’t in our first team)
Frankly, if he was that highly rated, he would not be going to Almeira.
Media with their heads stuck up their arse as per usual.
I know I shouldn’t try to be youtube-scout, but William Carvalho looks like a fucking beast in midfield. He looks quite dominant (i know it’s only the portuguese league, but still), then also he seems to be quite fast in transition from defence to offence with some intelligent passing. He sets the pace of the game a bit like Busquets *vomits*, how i fucking hate that diving bastard, but he good at what he does. Carvalho seems to be that player who doesn’t let the opponents play at all. He just plays the simple pass but a very high percentage… Read more »
Pedro Botelho is actually playing in brazil.
Have your seen the reports about Messi putting out feelers about joining arsenal before he signed a new deal at Barca? If true, that’s just fantastic that he will even consider to play for us
I’m sure lots of players who are unhappy at their club ask their team-mates about other clubs they’ve played for. It’s only interesting because it’s Arsenal and Messi (and Cesc).
You have to wonder what Cesc would have said now if Messi asked him!
You really mustnt believe the media or agent shit!!
I know, but it’s like Megan Fox looking in your general direction and you go bunkers thinking you have a shot at getting her
A man can dream
It would take a lot more than just a general look from Megan Fox to be a dream.
Megan Fox in an Arsenal shirt however makes the grade!
Eisfeld’s gone to Fulham then. 2 year permanent deal. Says so on their website. Shame. I had high hopes for him when he came in. Just didn’t work out for him with us so probably Championship is the best move for him.