Loanee Alumni 2019
Prior to leaving , Denis Suarez decided to arrange a get together of Arsenal loanees, to have a beer or two and relive their story of their time at Arsenal.
He sent out the invites and got 5 responses.
First to arrive was, Kim Kallstrom. He bounded in with his permagrin and holding his back.
He recalled in depth “the greatest 15 minutes of his life”, which culminated in him scoring the second penalty in our FA Cup semi final win. He added that he was disappointed that he never lived up to his “Football Manager” rating, but that he had an awesome time at the Emirates
Yossi Benayoun, the player who met the loanee brief and a man of few words.
He spoke with pride about captaining the side against City and how he wished he got the chance to stay and really show the Gooners what he could really do for the club.
Fabian Caballero (Tyson to his mates) was the hardest of the loan boys to track down. It’s hard to get away when you are a city councilor in Asuncion. But he replied and finally made it to the shin dig.
He didn’t say much, cos he didn’t have much to add to the event, much in line with his Arsenal career. 3 games, no goals and then back off to Paraguay.
The beast bounded in and bigged himself up. “Wenger wanted me, wanted me bad, but I’m Brazilian, I was too good for Arsenal and went to Madrid instead”. Denis jumped in, “But you ended up at Arsenal. They swapped you for Reyes and you didn’t do enough to get a permenant deal. Go figure.”
Julio shifted in his seat, picked up his pint and stayed quiet for the rest of the night.
At the end of the evening, everyone noticed a solitary blonde guy sitting in the corner of the pub. They called him over and to their surprise, realised it was Mart Poom.
A man of few words, Mart added his input to the evening, “In two seasons, I made two appearances and walked away with a Champions League runners up medal, boom” and with that he dropped the mic and left the establishment.
English by birth, Australian by choice. Traffic Engineer, Arsenal ST Holder, Sun DreamTeam Winner, Writer on @GunnersTown, Depeche Mode, Welcome to my world…
I thought Denis showed real promise and I wondered why he had not played more often. The usual rumours were circulating about dresssing room politics etc. but I didn`t give them much credence. Thanks Steve for clarifying the situation.
I find it very impressive that for someone who had so little playing time, that Denis gave a thought to other loanees whom he did not even know and organised a little event to meet and share their experiences. he came from Barcelona yet he is still admiring Arsenal as a “Big Club”.
I wish him all the best and I hope he makes a swift and effective recovery. Perhaps we may see him again? His attitude to the club and his consideration of other loanees is the stuff that a good Esprit De Corps is made of.
Denis Suarez, Thank you for clearing up why you have not played much since you got here. I thought you looked good when you managed to play. I hope that the treatment allows you to play football once again. Good luck.