Arsene Wenger has confirmed teenage forward Carlos Vela will return to Arsenal during the summer, after the final paperwork for his visa application was sent to Spanish government, meaning he can finally gain the required passport needed to ply his trade in England.
Once the papers are checked Vela will be granted Spanish citizenship, meaning his return to the Gunners will be simple as England are a member of the European Union. The news was first broken yesterday by our good friends over at Carlos Vela News, but following this announcement Wenger confirmed the deal will go through.
“We have applied for a work permit for him now, and he will be involved with the first-team next season.”
After speaking about the legal aspect of the transfer things turned to football, and it was put to Wenger that Vela will be back up for Tomas Rosicky next season, on the left hand side of the midfield. However the Frenchman brushed off these suggestions, and confirmed he intends to operate Carlos in his former role as a striker.
“He has played the whole season at Osasuna on the left wing and he had to work hard there. But for me it is not his position he is a central striker, an Eduardo type.”
These latest comments will fuel speculation that Arsenal are set to sign Hatem Ben Arfa, with previous links being brushed off as it would be Vela and Rosicky as the left sided options, now it seems Wenger will be on the prowl for another left winger. It also means that the possible signings of Mario Gomez, Obafemi Martins, and Klass Jan Huntelaar now seem almost impossible.
I personally believe that Vela will struggle as a striker and added to the already period of adaption time needed when moving to England from Spain, Carlos must now rekindle his previous role as a striker. With Wenger being able to call on the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Eduardo, Robin van Persie, and Nicklas Bendtner it promises to be a season where Vela will feature mainly in the Cup competitions.
However Carlos will take heart from the comments Wenger made at the filming of “The Cesc Fabregas Show”, where he said if a player has scored a number of goals before, then he will sign them as he knows they will come good again.
Article By – J.Sanderson
I’ve two reactions to that article.
Ya way! and Oh no!
Ya way!
Vela is finally coming back to home. It’s been a while since he signed for Arsenal. He’s tricky and he should be Rosicky’s back up but what Wenger has said would be what I wanna say in “Oh no!” part.
Oh no!
I see Vela as a winger though and I thought he should be Rosicky’s backup. There are lotsa uncertainties regarding what type of creative player Wenger would buy and thus if Wenger does really buy Hatem ben Arfa or someone similar (Mauro Zarate too), then Vela will definitely be seen as a striker.
I’ve to agree with you, J. Somehow, I hope Wenger can rethink about how to use him during friendlies.
Still remember, that does not mean that he can’t play on the wing next season. Eduardo is a striker but he played quite a bit on the left this season, RvP did it the season before.
What I have to say to this is that somebody needs to leave the club before too long. Walcott is a striker. In my opinion he is much better up there and both himself and Wenger have said it publicly that he is. That leaves us with 6 striker (Nick, Ade, Dudu, RvP, Walcott and Vela), apart from Barazite. Barazite just must go out on a loan this season, Ajax sounds good.
But after next season, we will have to offload some strikers. I think it will be a big season for Nicklas Bendtner. If he plays well then Adebayor will be sold. If Nick doesn’t seem to have a future, then he will be sold. So to RvP. If he continues to be injured all the time then I think we should sell him. I hope he stays fit because he is an amazing player, but we need players like Clichy and Fabregas who can play every week. I do not know how Wenger sees it but the only strikers I am certain will still be here in 2 years time are Walcott and Vela.
Good points guys, i feel Vela will need a season before he thinks about getting into the first team on a regular basis.
Barazite going to Ajax would be great too, he can get football without geting kicked to pieces.
he could get football without getting kicked but if he wants to play in the prem then surely its best he gets used to the rough house tactics at someone elses expense? hence most of our boys goin to the championship. as for vela as a striker arent we all forgetting that is the position were he caught our scouts eye, and and im sure wenger will still play him on the left if tr7 falls to bits!
i wouldn’t take anything wenger says as gospel, he changes and switches it up all season , i seem to remember one said coach saying he was going to rest ade , he did for 40 minutes .. , yes we are obviously buying ben arfa , all the right noises have been made b both parties and wenger came out and told the media about his admiration for the player , the deal is already done ..
ill put my left nut on it !
his purchase just hasn’t been confirmed due to the French league is still 10 days shy of ending .. in fact may 24th is the time you’ll find it will be official as i think its there last game ..
whilst i agree with your lust to cover wengers young guns i do believe we need more veterans in the side . I do like the fairy tail of a young player coming from nothing into a major club and becoming a super star, however ive seen the movie goal and thats generally what it is .. A FAIRY TAIL . . the way forward for AFC is EXPERIENCE and redi-made superstars like the other teams who have succeeded for the past 4 seasons .. You cannot deny its effectiveness and im sure wenger has one season left to prove he can win silverware or your young guns might be no more ..
Vela is a very bright prospect, but I would be surprised if he can play a significant role in the 1st half of next season.
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I feel disappointed by Wenger’s comment on Vela being a forward, and Walcot being a winger, as a couple of youngsters like in the reserves and the U18 for seeing one more slot being taken away by Vela.
What I know is at the end of the day I don’t care who plays where, a long as Wenger bring in a superb winger who could play better than Vela on the wings.
I checked yesterday on Ben Arfa who we are strongly linked to and then checked out on Samir Nasri, and found out that Samir are a lot more encouraging to have in our team.
Its like having a younger Ribery with his control,trickery and scoring ability almost the same, but still have the time to develop and eclipse Ribery.
While I didn’t see anything special on Bin Arfa other than the fact that he is a little more quicker and have some control ball, but a lot less trickery and and scoring ability.
One more thing in Nasri’s favor would be he is much stronger physically, although he is shorter a little.
I don’t know who will cost more between the two, but I truly hope that Wenger opt for Nasri, as he would really have an impact on the team and the fans.
I also noticed that Nasri is looked upon at his club and fans as a big star while Bin Arfa needs a lot of convincing to reach that status.
to reyes.
i dont think you can compare nasri to ribery actually. they are very different in their aproach to the game. nasri is more like a playmaker/passer of the ball while franck is more of a player who will run at people and go past defenders using his tecnique.
you shouldnt always trust what you see in the youtubeclips mate;)
i have myself been drooling over ben arfa all since he broke into the lyon fist team and still think he would be a very good option on the wing, with a little different aproach then rosicky and hleb ( if he decides to stick around). if hleb leaves then nasri would be a fantastic replacement but i dont thing that would happen. then we would have 2 fresh wingers who have to adapt to the PL and that isnt a very good idea if we’re seriously going for the title next season. But it sounds good indeed with ben arfa and nasri on the flanks:)
and please excuse my spelling, havnt been writing in english for quite a while
it will be great to have him back to the team …he could stand in for Eduardo or injury prone Rosicky …but I would really prefer to see in playing from the flanks and not in the attack since it is obvious that he will do well on that side of play…hey J can you give us updates on Jay Simpson …I really want to know whats going on with him are we lossing him or sending him on loan ???
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to vela,
Well if I based my opinion on youtube, than that is because its an information for all to see, although in most cases they show you only the players strengths and hide the weakness.
But if we compare what there is for the two players on youtube you get the feeling like Nasri is really in the mould of Ribery even if there is some work to do, I must believe my eyes as that is what they tell me.
If I may say than maybe its better to describe Nasri as a little mix between Ribery, Roiscky and our own Pires, now that is how I see him.
In any case I want a player to excite the fans with his skills, something like Brazilian flair from stepovers and such skills, or someone close to this level.
I would prefer Robinho if there is a chance, and it would be a nice surprise form Wenger and the club.
I think Arsene knows Vela’s game and his strengths better than any of you, so if he says Carlos will be a striker, I’ll trust his decision. Walcott will be a striker too, but he needs another season on the wing. Carlos has already served his apprenticeship on the wing so he offers some versatility. The only concern is whether he adapts to the rough and tumble of the Premier League.
I agree 100% with Passenal, if Wenger feels he’s best up front then I’ll roll with that. He converted Henry from a Wenger and no one saw that coming.
Vela has always looked like more of a striker than a winger to me. His play is not entirely dissimilar to Eduardo’s, and he will take his role in the team until the Crozillian completes his rehabilitation. Vela will be backup for Robin and will also occasionally play on the left in a 4-5-1 as Eduardo did last season.
to reyes,
facinating how people can get totally different views of the same player. but there you go.
nasri is in my world a player a would compare to lets say…a mix between andres iniesta and rosicky. but thats just me and to be honest i havnt exactly followed him throuhout the season, just seen the odd game with maresille.
No got to disagree Reyes.
Nasri is a play maker, if anything a more attack minded Cesc, no Ineista is the best description.
Or Rosicky for thr Czechs
Now he’s saying Vela is a striker too, a few months ago he said the same thing about walcott! I hope he’s going to play 4-3-3 than cause otherwise we have 6 of 7 strikers something like that… My concern is not what position he’s going to play Vela but what is going to happen to our left and right side midfield?!! Are we going to add some strenght, skill, technique and pace there or what?!! Carlos Vela is a natural goalscorer, I compare him to Raul or Del Piero in they’re earlier days. I saw all his WC u17 games a few years ago. And it was obvious! But I fully understand that the people here want him on the left side because of his pace and ability to beat a man. I hope he’ll be 3rd striker next season ahead of Bendtner cause I believe Vela can score more than the 9 goals he scored.
Off topic: Who wants Walcott to be a striker and who wants him to be a right winger?!!
I believe Carlos Vela is a better forward than he is winger. When I watched the Under-20 World Cup last Summer, Vela looked very isolated in the first few games when forced to play down the left flank. However, in the second half of the Portugal game, he was pushed up fron with Dos Santos, where he and his strike partner excelled, showing great touches, skill and awareness of the other. He continued in this role and was Mexico’s best player against the eventual winners of the competition (Argentina) despite carrying an injury. Do not forget that it was also in this role up front where he won Golden Boot at the Under-17s Championship in 2005 and led the club to purchasing him.
Moushin, I too am hoping for a change in formation to incorporate all of our strikers. For too long, we have been playing a 442 despite a lack of natural widemen, which has forced us to play players out of position. A 4231 or 433 would allow our players to play in their natural roles and hopefully allow the team to fulfill its potential.
theo doesnt have the flair to play as a winger imo. every time he tries to beat a man he goes to the defenders right (to run along the sideline) and never cuts inside.
Hes better as a forward to use his pace to run at cescs passes or a flick from adebayor
I don’t know what Wenger might be thinking, but he have a lot of options to choose from, and one that I like to see include 3 attackers in Eduardo, Walcot and Vela such as:
Alumunia
Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy
Song
Walcot Fabregas Merieda Vela
Eduardo
this formation is 4-1-4-1 and can transform quickly to be 4-3-3 were Walcot and Vela can be strikers too.
You can imagine if Rosciky replaced Merieda and played in the middle with fabregas, how scary the team will look, and that is without mentioning the new winger or Hleb if he stayed.
What I like in the formation above is that it gives you the feeling that they can score all day, no wasters like Eboue and Adebayore, although Song will have to play like a monster to shield this very attack minded team.
i do like that one. but do think diaby or denilson would be ahead of merida. interesting nevertheless
problem is that when you play with a lone striker and runners on the flanks is that that striker possibly must be strong enough and be able to cover the ball for the runners to advance up the pitch. i dont think eduardo has that kind of “targetplayer” attributes. adebayor would in that case be a better solution, in a kind of drogba role. the whole system would make us very chelski, balls forward to the lone striker who brings it down and distributes it to onstorming players. not very wenger, not very arsenal.
geez i do miss eduardo though. what a player he is.
I just feel physically as a striker, he is going to struggle. When playing against people like Richard Dunne he will be over powered.
dont know about that. hes got pretty much the same physique as walcott. not the same style of play on the other hand. but nevertheless decent balance.
very hard to say until you see him play, hope he runs the crap out of samba:)
btw hope the only place he will be overpowerd by richard dunne is on the trainingpitch hehe
From what I’ve seen of Vela, he can be either hit-or-miss on the flank, but I reckon his experience there will give him the sense to drop a bit deeper to pick up the ball and create opportunities, which he has done really well for Osasuna. His movement into space is quick and incisive. He has a few tricks to boot! All in all I reckon Wenger has it right, this guy will be a class forward as soon as he gets familiar with playing that position again..
I never thought he looked good on the wing anyway so I was glad that wenger said he will be a striker but I do see him playing on wing in some games
Now Wenger has confirmed on the official website that Song will play in defence. By that he is kind of confirming also that we will buy a defensive midfielder. Vela as a striker brings us to a winger. So Ben Arfa, a midfielder nobody has ever heard of and perhaps a big centre back (Richard Dunne? the clumsiest guy in the league)
Stone exactly I expect that Wenger will not buy a defender, except for Thuram maybe. Ben Arfa and Yaya Touré are the most likely! If Hleb leaves than he’ll probably go for Niko Kranjcar.
I think these 4 names are the most likely to join Arsenal for the coming season!
If wenger does not beleive he can defend at all then thats why he will go up front. but look at theo, he rarely defends but has been trusted with a wing role. will wenger give one season to vela on the wing? I mean even Eduardo had to play quite a lot of games as a winger and no one has ever said he is a winger.
I hope Ben Afra signs a new deal at lyon as he said he was happy to as nasri is ttwice the player but cheaper and play vela on the wing and but villa
I do not think that Nasri will be cheaper. It always says that Arfa will be sold for 11 millions but Nasri for 14
if vela playing as a striker means wenger’s not looking for a new one, i’ll be disappointed. i was rather hoping we would sign mario gomez. when i saw us linked with him i got super excited. what a fantastic striker. we need proven goalscorers like him up front, we shouldn’t be relying on the likes of bendtner, walcott and vela to lead the line when adebayor isn’t firing.
Vela was hired by the Arsenal due to his amazing skills as a striker, actually it happened after his top scorer title in the U17 world cup where Mexico’s team obtained the cup. While in Spain, he struggled in the left side eventhough he was better than Pandiani. I think that in Arsenal, Wenger must quicky find Vela’s best performance as a striker. A mistake could be dangerous, for example, Rijkaard placed Dos Santos in the right side obtaining nothing, in the last game (last as a “Blaugrana” for Giovanni) he played in the interior scoring a hat trick….a little bit too late dont you think?
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