10 Players Who Probably Regretted Joining Arsenal
1. Jose Antonio Reyes (2004-07)
There is no doubt that Jose Reyes deeply regretted his move to Arsenal from Sevilla. Indeed, in a hoax call perpetrated by a Spanish radio station in February 2005, a prankster claiming to be the director of football at Real Madrid offered Reyes a potential transfer deal to which the gullible young Spaniard stated that he wanted to see the back of Arsenal as soon as possible. He went on to state that life in London wasn't what he was expected, and that many of the staff and players at Arsenal were "bad people".
A lot had changed for the Spanish forward since signing for Arsenal during the January transfer window of the 2003/04 season for a fee of £17 million with add-on bonuses. Buying Reyes was very much a statement of intent from Wenger, demonstrating that he was still willing to splash the cash amid the new threat of Roman Abramovich's obscene wealth over at Chelsea. After a bright start scoring a brace against the Stamford Bridge side to knock them out the FA Cup, Reyes' form took a tumble, and it was clear he wasn't enjoying his time in the capital.
After two and a half seasons spent wishing that he had never left Spain, a Reyes was sold to Real Madrid. He's still on the go, and currently plys his trade for the wonderfully named Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard FC in China. Apparently he's over his homesickness.
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Which other players probably regret joining Arsenal? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.