Arsenal are now certain to have two new major players for next season. They will of course be ignored by the media, who will bang on about Arsenal not signing players, but their names will be known to Arsenal fans.
The first is Mexican Vela who signed in 2007, but who played this season on loan in Spain. He first played for Salamanca, scoring eight times as they finished in mid-table in division two. Then moved on to Osasuna, and continued to score. A Mexican Youth International, Carlos won the FIFA U-17 World Championships, scoring five goals in the tournament to win the Golden Boot.
Fran Merida is the other major signing who has just agreed a long-term contract with Arsenal. He is 18, and joined from Barcelona in 2006 and this season played on loan for Real Sociedad. Arsène Wenger described his talent as “absolutely amazing. Fran is very technical. He still needs to grow physically but football-wise there is no problem. He is an absolutely amazing player.”
