Arsenal’s little Spaniard Santiago Cazorla may be at the grand age of 30, but he is still a brilliant footballer and should be an example to young midfielders, says the Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.
Wenger thinks that his small stature doesn’t make him an obvious candidate to make it in the Premier League, but Cazorla makes up for this in other ways. “It’s because of his technical quality and his intelligence,” Le Prof enthused. “He’s a model to watch. If you go out and you watch Cazorla play, you think this is not a player – when you watch him play for Spain – who can specifically be a player for the Premier League.
“He’s a fantastic example that no matter how tall you are, it’s about how good you are. He’s a very intelligent player and he also shows how important it is to be right and left footed in midfield.
‘He’s a good example of how we should educate young players who play in midfield to be able to use their right and left foot.
“Yes [his permanent role will be in the middle],” added Wenger. “He’s at an age where he has experience and where it’s a bit more difficult on the flanks. His technical quality, vision and experience are very important central.”
Santi is just about to enter the last year of his contract with Arsenal, but when you look at midfielders like Rosicky and Arteta, they are still playing here at 33+ years of age. Wenger used to be reluctant to give over 30’s extended contracts, but maybe now he realises the value of the skills they can pass on to the youngster breaking through from the Academy?