I’m not sure that anybody expected Carlos Vela to do quite as well as he has done since leaving Arsenal three seasons ago.
The fleet-footed Mexican winger keeps going from strength-to-strength. In his first season at his current club, Real Sociedad, he scored 12 goals and made 7 assists. A year later he scored 14 goals and made 9 assists. Last season, he delivered his best return yet, finding the back of the net a startling 21 times, whilst chipping in with 13 assists.
You can see the progression there. He’s 25-years-old now. Imagine how good he’ll be in a couple of years time.
His form has been so impressive that it’s sparked rumours that he could return back to The Emirates. When Theo Walcott picked up a long-term injury last season, The Gunners started to lack meaningful threat down the wings. Carlos Vela could have been a good solution.
This is especially true given that Arsenal have a buy-back clause written into Vela’s Real Sociedad contract. It’s believed that The Gunners could re-sign the Mexican for as little as £3.3m. That’s a genuine bargain, given how good he was last season.
Unfortunately, it looks like Arsene Wenger isn’t going to trigger the player’s buy-back clause. The Mirror claim that Wenger is prepared to sell his stake in Vela for £8.8m. The Gunners could also rake in more cash when the Mexican ace goes on to hit certain appearance milestones for Real Sociedad.
Whilst this may come as disappointing news for Arsenal fans, it’s further evidence that inserting a buy-back clause into Vela’s Sociedad contract was a stroke of genius. Wenger saw that Vela had potential and managed to sell him on whilst protecting Arsenal’s best interests.
Still, I’m surprised that The Professor isn’t willing to take a gamble on this former Gunner. He’s come such a long way in the last two years, that it just seems to make sense to give him another try. Surely there aren’t any options out there who are as good and as cheap? Wenger loves a bargain, so why isn’t he interested in Vela?
My only hope is that he’s interested in bigger and better deals this summer. Let’s hope so any way. Wouldn’t it be a shame if Arsenal were to come to regret their decision to let Vela go?
What’s your take? Should The Gunners sell their stake in Carlos Vela?
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