Jokin Aperribay, the chairman of Real Sociedad, has been quoted on Spain's prestige radio station, Cadena SER, as saying that Premier League club Arsenal have informed the Spanish side that they will activate their buy-back clause implemented in the contract of former striker Carlos Vela.
Vela has spent the last three seasons in La Liga, playing in his favoured striker position, one which he was denied at Arsenal, forcing him out of the club in 2011. He has enjoyed a great three years, proving his worth at the top level of Spanish football. In his three seasons to date, Vela has managed to score 42 goals in La Liga across 107 games, to which he has added 28 assists. His impact will undeniably be sorely missed by La Real, his goals helping them finish fourth in his second season at the club, securing a Champions League play-off place, beating Lyon 4-0 on aggregate before completing a highly underwhelming group stage, finishing bottom of their group, gaining just a single point, which was against Manchester United.
I'm better prepared to play in a different country now. I won't close the door on Arsenal or any other English club for that matter.
Vela's impact at Arsenal was minimal, despite playing over 60 games for the Gunners. He was a player highly rated by many, including Arsène Wenger. His inability to perform on the left-wing, a position he was relegated to because of the form of then-strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie, meant that he was restricted to mainly substitute appearances. Despite this, he scored 11 goals in total for the Gunners, including a fabulous hat-trick in the Capital One Cup (then known as the Carling Cup) in a 6-0 demolition of Sheffield United:
Carlos Vela's hat-trick for Arsenal in the Capital One Cup
The signing could be the start of a special summer for the Gunners, with the likes of Karim Benzema and ex-Spurs defender Steven Caulker also being linked. The resources are there for Wenger and co. to use, and it is all now down to them to see how they are used, and whether Arsenal can build on their FA Cup triumph from last season.
