Racing Santander’s sporting director, Chema Aragon, has claimed that Arsenal were close to signing Pablo Garcia from Real Betis on deadline day.
Garcia has been with Betis since the age of five but struggled to secure a regular role in Manuel Pellegrini’s side last season, starting just two games in La Liga and another in the Europa League.
The 20-year-old, who is a right-sided attacker, left Betis’ training ground in tears on Tuesday night as he finalised his move to fellow La Liga side Racing Santander in a £4.3 million deal.
But Aragon claims Arsenal were leading the race to sign Garcia on deadline day and were looking to send the forward out on loan before Racing Santander went on to complete a permanent move.
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‘It seemed like it was done with Arsenal, and then we came in too on loan,’ Aragon said at a press conference on Wednesday.
‘Yesterday things changed, and what seemed to be a loan turned into a shared ownership deal.
‘I would describe Pablo Garcia as Raul Gonzalez Blanco, what he has above all else is a nose for goal, that killer instinct, and he usually puts it away.
‘My biggest concern was losing that goal-scoring ability for a while after Andres Martin’s injury. When the real opportunity arose to sign that player (Garcia), we didn’t hesitate for a second.’
In a letter to Real Betis supporters after his exit, Garcia wrote: ‘I arrived at Betis when I was five years old. I’m leaving after almost fourteen years growing up with these thirteen stripes.
‘Here I learned to play, to compete, to lose, to win and to dream. I went through all the categories of the Betis youth academy until fulfilling the dream of debuting with the first team
‘I experienced special goals and moments that will always stay with me. Betis has been my home since I was a child. And now, although it’s time to move on, there’s something that doesn’t change.
‘I arrived as a Betis fan and I’m leaving as a footballer.’
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