One of the most unsettled yet spectacularly talented players that Arsenal has signed in recent memory is Denilson.
The Brazilian moved to Arsenal in 2006 after catching the eye of the Gunners as an 18-year-old.
The club did all they could to help him settle in a new country, but he never really allowed himself to make it work in the Premier League.
Arsene Wenger trusted him and believed that the midfielder was talented, he had spells in the team where he was an undisputed starter, however, most of the time he struggled to play in the team.
He has now revealed that this was down to him having personal demons that he was fighting at the time.
The Brazilian revealed that he was lonely at Arsenal as he lived alone far away from his family and friends and it began to take a toll on his mental health.
He would eventually ask Arsenal to transfer him back to his native Brazil where he hoped that he would be closer to his family and friends.
“I was living by myself in a different country and found it very difficult,” Denílson says as quoted by the Guardian. “Towards the end I really felt alone. I started to feel not right mentally and physically. Being alone affected my mind and my football. That’s when I realised it was time to go back to Brazil, where I had family and friends, in the hope it would lift my spirits.”
“Going back to Brazil meant I could speak openly with my dad about what I was feeling, “It helped a lot.” He added.
Mental health is not something to mess with and it is perfectly understandable that Denilson felt he had to leave. No point keeping a player in that situation.
