Arsene Wenger says that he’s sure Santi Cazorla will play for Arsenal at the highest level again, and provided a positive update on the midfielder’s fitness.
However, the Spanish international is unlikely to make it out onto the pitch again until the new year as he recovers from an ongoing Achilles problem.
The 32 year old has had eight operations on his ankle, but looks to be heading in the right direction finally according to the Arsenal boss.
“He’s having his first run today, so that is quite positive,” he said at his press conference this morning.
“The flexibility of his ankle looks good, his mobility looks good, now it’s back to getting back to fill fitness without any setbacks so it’s very difficult to predict when he’ll be available again.
“Overall it’s very difficult to set the time. Not before Christmas, that is why I did not include him in Europa League, but hopefully after Christmas he will be available.”
Pressed on whether he felt Cazorla could make a successful comeback, Wenger continued, “Yes, but he has not played for over a year now, he’s had a few surgeries so I’m always cautious to set a time or a date, but overall yes, it looks positive.”
Let’s hope so, it’d be great to see him again, and there’s no doubt this team has missed him since he’s been out.
the only player who come’s close to cazorla’s skills in this crazy market has to be isco!!!i wish if we can get isco someday like we got ozil back then…
1000% AGREE
Isco is out of contract next summer. Amazingly I got nothing but abuse yesterday for suggesting we offer him a £70,000,000 signing on fee and £250,000 p/w. A player of that ability would cost us at least that on the transfer market. And I think with the way transfer fee’s are going, free transfers with huge signing on fee’s is the way football is heading. If we managed to secure that signature for next season? by being aggressive in January? I don’t think it would hurt our chances in keeping Ozil/Alexis or anyone else who wants out. It would really… Read more »
Because it’s not happening. Isco is not leaving Real, why do you think there was no noise around him this summer? He just won the Caqhmpion’s League with the biggest club in the world, being coached by one of the greatest players of all time while bing instrumental in the second half o fthe season. He’s not coming to Arsenal.
I agree with you. But he’s still not a regular starter for Madrid, nor does he have a fixed position. They’ve got the best midfield options on the plant. And if he enters the last six months of his deal? why not make him a financial offer that would be very hard for him to turn down? And the chance of nailing down a regular central midfield spot? Madrid have squad players who would be regular starters anywhere else on the planet, they simply can’t pay them all £250,000+ P/w He may choose significantly less wages for sporting aspirations? But… Read more »
Well, you can always try. But if he wanted to leave clubs would know about it, because his agent would have let everybody know.
He wasn’t a starter at the start of last season, by now Isco is a starter and their star perform. Add to that he’s also spanish. If he hasn’t left two years ago, he’s not leaving now.
No player leaves a winning team for “a new challenge” (if they’re playing), that’s just something fans imagine.
“No player leaves a winning team for a new challenge”, Neymar left Barca for PSG.
Debatable if that fits my description.
For 515k a week, while we can’t convince Sanchez on 300kpweek
Neymar left for more money.
And considering the position our club is in we will have to look way down the order, no “star” is going to join us in the state we’re in.
Also I don’t think anyone pays £70 million signing on fees. They tend to be less than transfer fees.
I’m sorry, did you just say £70,000,000 signing on fee + £250k a week on what would be like a 4-year contract?! Who are you, Raiola?
You must suck at FM! ?
It’s really not a hard concept to understand, it’s called supply+Demand. If you’re a footballer who’d improve pretty much every team? then you’re in demand. If all the top clubs want you? Then that means they have to compete. When top clubs compete for the best talent, ridiculous amounts of money get thrown around. For clubs that are success orientated I wouldn’t imagine they’d give two hoots if they give a club £70mill as a fee or the player the same fee as a signing on fee. In a world where Raiola can make £41mill for Pogba going to United,… Read more »
First, do you understand how transfer work at all?
Second, I don’t doubt Isco being a difference maker but like you said if he is in demand why wasn’t there a market for him this past window? I mean not one legit story of him transferring out this summer. Player in his last year and no mention of him transferring out? I think its pretty clear RM not selling him or he has made it clear he’s not going anywhere.
I think they will sell Bale before they let Isco go.
I don’t think this is unreasonable at all. It sounds insane because of the signing on fee, but that’s a fee that would otherwise go to the club. Is it unfair that that fee would go to the player when he’s a free agent? I’m American, where the idea of transfers for cash doesn’t exist. Transfers are trades of assets (players/draft picks), and other than that, players switch clubs as free agents. Free agent contracts commonly have signing bonuses/guaranteed salaries. 70m + 250k p/w over 5 years is ~26m annualized, which is high but not unreasonable compared to basketball and… Read more »
We have missed Santi badly. He is the man that makes us tick, the often overlooked true heartbeat of the team, and pretty much irreplaceable. I really hope he can get fit and come back for us.
San-tick-azorla
I’ll grab my coat
My favourite Arsenal player, he’s a real joy to watch.
I absolutely love him, we’ve still not found a way to play without him, and I’m not sure there’s an internal solution?
I’d have quite liked us to have found a solution in the mythical “Transfer Market’.
But it’s generally not the way we operate.
Never a bad word to say about him. Always plays with a smile on his face and can lift the fans at any moment with his unreal dribbling.
I’ll never forget that game against City when he drifted past the entire team like they weren’t there.
Get better soon Santi!
We desperately need him back. His is so underrated. But a world class act imo
The only player we have that is on the same wavelength as Ozil and Sanchez and the player we most needed to replace or provide back up for in the transfer window.
Good luck Santi, if anyone deserves it, it’s you.
….and Rosicky!
Seriously. The two least deserving of the injury luck they’ve had.
We can’t rely on any positives from Santi this season but even the thought of him coming back playing to his best gives me goose bumps.
Such a pity we have not been able to see his wonderful skill set year after year, he is the most naturaly gifted player at the club. So much time lost to injury I really really hope we get to see him again soon. it’s clear to see how much the team needs him.
Santi, i wish you well and i know you will out the best of you very soon.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh
That will be our signing of the January transfer window
If there really were a god, Santi would have had a miracle cure by now. Hell, how we miss him!
I’m worried that he comes back a shadow of his former self when playing. A year out is a long time for someone past 30 in football.
Please come back as good and as happy as you were before santi!
Poor lad ?
Why does it take 3 1/2 months to get fit? Surely 6 weeks training every day should be enough? I would’ve thought 9-10 with reserve matches would have got him match fit.
ooohhhh Santi Cazorlaaaaa!
Feels so strange reading that he’s 32. Feels like before he suffered this chronic achillies problem he was 29/30. We were robbed of the last couple of seasons of his brilliance cos he imo is so underrated its unbelievable (by the media and others mainly). Arsene does get a lot of stick recently but moving him to a deeper role after having him out wide was such a great move. Also am I the only one who still after 5 years has no idea what Santi’s weak foot is? 🙂
Gee.. it is a very rare occasion that “not before Christmas” can be seen as “positive news”
Santiiiiii <3<3<3<3<3
Having Santi back in the new year would give us a fantastic bump leading into the back end of the season. Our focus needs to be getting back into Champions League. The top 6 are so competitive now that it’s not a given (obviously) that we make top 4. If this is accomplished than there should be no excuses next summer in player recruitment.
I think the loss of Santi cost us at least one PL title..but the news of his possible return is about the best news I have heard all summer..we miss our little magician