Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that he had been scouting Santi Cazorla for a long time before Robert Pires finally convinced him to sign the Spaniard for the Gunners.

Cazorla has been plying his trade for the Emirates Stadium outfit since 2012 when he landed in north London from Malaga of the Spanish top flight. The Spain international has gone on to make over 150 appearances for the Gunners, winning two FA Cups in the process.




The midfielder has featured 11 times for Arsenal this season and has become an indispensable member of the first team for Wenger.

The manager has revealed that he had been scouting the 30-year-old ever since he was in his early twenties and plying his trade at the time for Villarreal.
 


“I think I first saw him when he was about 20 or 21”, the Frenchman told his club’s site.

relatedNewsStory

“He was not a regular player, but in some games we watched you could see he had talent.”

He further added that when Pires moved to the Madrigal after six seasons with Arsenal, the former French international advised him to buy Cazorla.

“After that Robert Pires moved to Villarreal and played with him. Sometimes I asked Robert, ‘Are there any good players there?’

“He said to me straight away, ‘Cazorla is a fantastic player’. So Robert was a scout for me! He at least confirmed the impression I already had about Santi.”