Denis Suarez has opened up on his bad loan spell at Arsenal after joining the club last January.
The Spaniard had been struggling for a game-time at Barcelona and he was considering his future when Unai Emery went calling and persuaded him to come to North London.
He would eventually have a poor six months with the Gunners before returning unceremoniously to Camp Nou at the end of the season.
He recently opened up on his loan spell to The Athletic via Star Sports and he claims that he knew his time at the Emirates wasn’t a memorable one before he went on to reveal how Unai Emery lured him to Arsenal.
He claimed that Emery told him that he wanted a winger, but the wing wasn’t his best position, however, Emery was convinced that he could do the job that he wanted him to do and told him he would play enough to earn a permanent move to the Emirates.
He told The Athletic: “Obviously it was a bad loan because I did not play. But there were circumstances, which I would like the fans to understand.
“Unai [Emery] told me he was looking for a winger — where Alex Iwobi or Henrikh Mkhitaryan played. It is not my best position but I can play on the wing.
“He insisted to me, ‘Come here. You will play. Don’t stay in Barcelona. Play, play, play and then we can sign you’.”
Another player whose opportunities to play and impress were impacted by injuries.