Arsenal miss out as Racing Santander land Pablo Garcia in £4.3 million deadline-day deal | OneFootball

Arsenal narrowly missed out on signing Real Betis prospect Pablo Garcia on deadline day, as Racing Santander completed a £4.3 million move, according to Goal.com.

The 20-year-old right-sided attacker had been close to joining the Gunners, who planned to sign him then loan him for minutes. Instead, Santander secured a permanent arrangement with shared ownership, keeping the forward in Spain.

Sporting director Chema Aragon said Arsenal were ahead until the final hours and that a proposed loan shifted late into a shared ownership deal. He compared Garcia to Raul Gonzalez Blanco and underlined his penalty-box instinct, adding that Andres Martin’s injury sharpened their need for goals.

The transfer ends Garcia’s 14-year association with Betis, which began when he joined at five. Under Manuel Pellegrini last season he struggled for minutes, starting two Liga games and one in the Europa League.

After leaving the training ground in tears on Tuesday, he published an open letter saying he learned, grew and progressed through every academy level to a first-team debut, and that Betis had been his home. He wrote that he arrived a Betis fan and departs as a footballer.

The move offers a shot at regular senior football. Garcia could make his debut when Santander face Rayo Vallecano in Liga this weekend.

Source: Goal.com

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