Denis Suarez wasn’t the player Arsenal fans wanted to sign – but he’s the footballer supporters have a hard time in forgetting.
The 30-year-old linked up with the Gunners in January 2019 on a loan deal from Barcelona which saw him reunited with former Sevilla boss Unai Emery.
Arsenal were in the market for a versatile attacking midfielder that could operate on both wings.
Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku – then at Paris Saint-Germain – had been the club’s top target with Emery an admirer having worked with him at Parc des Princes.
But an agreement couldn’t be reached between the Gunners and Les Parisiens towards the end of the winter window.
As a result, Arsenal had to settle for Suarez, though Emery was hopeful it was a match made in heaven following their Europa League triumph together in 2015.
Suarez himself had a point to prove following two years spent in Manchester City’s academy, before being offloaded in 2013 after just two senior appearances.
The Spaniard arrived at the Emirates by revealing he grew up inspired by watching Arsenal – declaring he was looking to follow in the footsteps of club legends Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
But his dream switch ended in a nightmare, with Suarez failing to start a single match in what was an injury-hit spell.
He managed just 95 minutes spread across six substitute appearances where he failed to chip in with a goal or assist.
From his four Premier League outings, he was unable to create a single chance for his teammates and couldn’t even register a shot on goal.
Reportedly on a £60,000-a-week deal in north London, that works out to Suarez being paid a whopping £27k for every minute he played.
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And it came as a surprise to no-one that Arsenal failed to take up their £18m buy option.
In the weeks that followed the end of the 2018/19 campaign, Suarez revealed how it was ‘a year to forget’ having failed to prove his worth.
He also stressed how he was ‘not even 50 per cent fit’ due to a groin knock which ended his season in April.
Suarez recently declared how he feels sorry for criticism aimed at Emery over his signing having rejected other players in favour of him.
Discussing his brief time at Arsenal, he told The Athletic: “It was such a shame, honestly.I arrived at Arsenal and had physical problems.
“I wasn’t able to reach my normal level, no matter how much I tried. It would have been different if I had been fit and able to compete, but it just didn’t work out.
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“I thought the club was fantastic. It’s a privilege to be able to say that I played for Arsenal, one of the greatest clubs in the world.
“It was disappointing for me, but also for Unai.
“I know he was criticised for signing me, because he requested me and rejected other options because he knew me.”
Five-and-a-half-years after Suarez’s exit and Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal from a laughing stock into regular title challengers.
But Suarez believes Emery was treated unfairly by club chiefs after being sacked just 18 months into his spell in charge.
He remarked: “Unai is a top coach and I think he was treated very unfairly at Arsenal.
“He took over from Wenger, who had been there for so many years. People were not as patient with him as they had been with Wenger in certain moments.
“When you change a coach that has been there for so long, you look for a new identity. I think Unai was creating one at the club.
“It was a period of transition, both in the playing squad and the infrastructure. The process takes time. Unai took them to a Europa League final and finished in the top five, but they didn’t let him finish the job.
“It’s true that Arsenal are doing very well under Arteta, but it could have been the same with Unai.”
Suarez has remained in Spain since leaving Arsenal, first joining Celta Vigo on a permanent deal before linking up with Espanyol on loan and then onto Villarreal.
And with Nkunku Chelsea’s leading goalscorer this season with 12 strikes, Arsenal fans may be wondering if he could have proven the difference in winning the league in the last two years.