Nacho Monreal: 'I’ve never been a star but I gave my all for Arsenal'
23-Nov-2020 22:00:03 | The Guardian
The Real Sociedad defender on topping the La Liga table, Arteta, Wenger and the ‘shock’ early morning call that took him to north London
“I don’t know if he got a commission or something,” Nacho Monreal says and starts laughing again. “I woke up one morning to a call from Santi [Cazorla] asking me if I wanted to join. Imagine it: I was in shock, only just awake, not really with it. And by that night, I was an Arsenal player. I reckon the club said: ‘Santi, speak to Nacho: see what he thinks.’”
It was January 2013, deadline day, and what he thought, insofar as he had time to think anything, was that this was a one-off – an opportunity he couldn’t let pass by. As for Cazorla, if he got a commission it was worth it. A supposedly short-term solution, not planning to go anywhere that morning, Monreal spent seven seasons in London, played over 250 games and won three FA Cups.
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I can concentrate on the positive things. If you can’t handle the pressure, it can swallow you
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