
OneFootball
Dan Burke·20 May 2018
Santi Cazorla to snub Arsenal coaching role for Villarreal return

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Dan Burke·20 May 2018
It looks like Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla will be returning to his old club Villarreal this summer rather than joining Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff.
Cazorla hasn’t played for the Gunners since October 2016 after picking up an achilles injury which was so severe, at one point it was feared he may lose his foot.
The 33-year-old underwent 10 operations and a skin graft but he’s finally on the road to recovery, and resumed light training with Arsenal earlier this month.
But his contract at the Emirates is due to expire at the end of June and there had been suggestions he could become part of the club’s backroom staff if his former team-mate Arteta is appointed as Arsène Wenger’s successor, as is expected.
However, according to Villarreal ambassador Marcos Senna, it looks like Cazorla is actually set for a return to the La Liga club where it all began.
“It is all but official that, although it has not been completely confirmed by the club, Santi Cazorla will spend pre-season next season – well, this July as we are already there – with Villarreal,” said Senna, as reported by Las Casa del Futbol reporter Monica Marchante.
Cazorla began his professional career with Villarreal B before working his way up to the first team. In 2006, he left to join Recreativo Huelva but by 2007 he was back at the Estadio de la Cerámica, where he spent another four years before signing for Málaga in 2011.
The former Spain international is expected to undergo pre-season training with the Yellow Submarine, and will be offered a permanent contract if he’s able to prove his fitness.