Former striker Carlos Vela will be retuning to the Emirates next season after Arsenal triggered the £3.5 million release clause in his contract.
Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay confirmed the move, telling Spanish radio station Cadena SER:
“Arsenal have informed us that Vela would be with them next season.”
The 25-year-old Mexican striker played for Arsenal from 2008-2010, where he scored 11 goals in 62 appearances, six of those goals coming in the League Cup.
Unable to show that he could consistently score in the Premier League, Arsenal sent him out on loan before selling his to Sociedad two years ago.
Vela has thrived in La Liga where he has scored 48 goals in 124 games. That scoring touch had also caught the eye of Atletico Madrid who are looking for replacements for David Villa and Diego Costa. I thought that Vela would have fitted in well at Atletico, but unless Arsene Wenger is planning on flipping Vela for a quick profit, then he will be returning to the Gunners.
Which does not make sense to me. Vela showed the first time through that he is not physically strong enough to play as the No. 9 in Wenger’s system, and Arsenal have more than enough candidates to play out wide in an attacking role.
What Arsenal need is another striker to complement/replace Giroud. Someone like Karim Benzema fits that need a lot better than Carlos Vela does.
What do you think of the signing Arsenal fans?