Santi Cazorla leaves Arsenal

Arsenal have confirmed that Santi Cazorla, at the end of his contract, will be leaving the club.

Santi became one of Arsenal’s most important players after coming to London from Malaga six years ago, thanks to his talent on the pitch and his general popularity with his teammates. Also known as the “little magician,” he provided the brains in the midfield, and he played a large part in winning two of Arsenal’s recent FA Cups with his technical skill and creativity.

Cazorla also played for Spain, and his international teammate Nacho Monreal had nothing but praise for him. “Everyone loves Santi because he is a special player and a special person,” Monreal said. “When you are with him you feel happy because he is laughing all the time, he is very positive in any moment and that makes you feel better when you are next to him.

Unfortunately, Santi hasn’t been able to play for Arsenal since October of 2016, when he picked up a seemingly unremarkable Achilles injury and began a long and hellish recovery that would eventually involve an infection, ten surgeries, and a skin graft. He was finally able to return to training near the end of Arsenal’s season, but it would have been too risky for him to play in any matches.

It has been rumored that Santi might join the Arsenal backroom staff, but he has yet to say anything definitive about where his career might go next.