Ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday, we look at how crucial MikelArteta was at the Emirates before he retired from active football.

Currently one of the assistant managers at the Etihad, Arteta was a uniting factor in the Gunners’ camp before he left.

He joined whilst Arsenal were at a low. The club had lost scandalously to United 8-2 and there was the threat of not reaching the top four – Arsene Wenger’s signature Premier League achievement in almost two decades. Wenger tried to keep his best players but ended up losing CescFabregas and Samir Nasri to Barcelona and Man City respectively.

Wenger was forced to do the unusual: he bought six players on deadline day. There was Andre Santos, Thomas Eisfeld, and Park Chu-Young who barely made any impact during their stay at the club. Yossi Bernayoun had his moments but Per Mertesacker and Arteta proved to be a decent gamble for the club.
Arsenal seemed to always have issues with their leaders/captains. The captain was given to Robin van Persie but the Netherlands international was more on the technical side than an all-round leader. Mertesacker and Arteta were the natural leaders in the team.

Mertesacker combined well with Laurent Koscielny at the back, as Thomas Vermaelen had a tendency to move up too far aside his injuries.

Arteta relaxed from his previous attacking role at Everton. He featured in a much deeper role, providing cover from the midfield and protecting the defence from collapse. He combined well with Alex Song too.

Off the pitch, Arteta’s fluency in many languages was key. He spoke England and Spanish fluently. His time in PSG helped his French aside a touch of Italian and Portuguese. He was the middleman that connected with all the language-based cliques in the dressing room.

He helped players who were low on commitment like AndreyArshavin, MarouaneChamakh and Denilson.

Arsenal eventually reached the top four but they were devastated with the loss of Robin van Persie.

SantiCazorla, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud came in and things seemed to calm down. After Vermaelen’s move to Spain, he officially became the captain. Injuries marred his final seasons in an Arsenal shirt before he decided to call it quits. Arsenal need to welcome their hero when he comes visiting even as a City crew.

Former Arsenal midfielder has had his contract with Cruzeiro terminated just after four months with the club.

After leaving Arsenal, the player has played for several clubs around the globe and ended up at Al Wahda. He managed to help the club win the Asian Cup, and there were hopes that he could get his career back on track.

However, he chooses to return to his native Brazil and sign for Cruzeiro where he will manage to play only a few games. It has now been announced that the contract has been terminated by mutual agreement and that the player is a free agent again.

Denilson has thanked the club, the staff and the fans for their support and said that he had had some good moments with the club. He has not made any statement about his immediate future and that he will be enjoying some time off from football. He said that he wants to spend some time with his family before deciding about his future.

Denilson had enjoyed some good times in England when he played for Arsenal, and at some moments he was touted as being the next Patrick Viera at the center of the midfield. Despite having scored some great goals for the Gunners, he will fail to establish himself in the team, and he will spend most of his time on the bench.

However, once he left the club in 2007, his career will experience a sharp decline, and he will struggle to have the same impact at his future clubs.

Denilson once stated that his mistake was to leave Arsenal and that he should have remained at the club and worked harder. He said that Arsene Wenger was the best manager he has ever worked with and that he has developed a lot working with him.

No doubt, Arsenal have developed numerous youngsters that have turned world-class material. Manager Arsene Wenger is famed for this.

Hector Bellerin is the latest sensation that Wenger has helped grow into a multimillion-dollar project aside past stars like Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott etc. However, for any of these stars, there are several prodigies that turned into “failures.”

Nicklas Bendtner is one failed project, and Arturo Lupoli grew alongside him. Lupoli, an Italian, was a rising star as well but he only played once in the Premier League before he was sent off to the Serie A in 2007. He struggled there as well, playing in different clubs on loan before he was relegated to the Serie B. He seemed to find his level there as he has played for various sides there.

Former Everton player Francis Jeffers is referred to as one of the worst Arsenal signings after the layer failed to deliver at al despite Wenger splashing £10 million far back in 2001. The highly rated player eventually left in 2004 but continued his poor spell in nine different clubs before his retirement.

Fran Merida was touted as the next big thing to tow the path of Fabregas but he struggled to get a shirt until he left the Emirates. His spell in Spain did not yield fruit as well with him playing for Hercules, Atletico Paranaense and Osasuna.

Jermaine Pennant cost millions of Pounds as far back as 1999 but the former Notts County star spent seven years picking up bare 12 appearances in the Premier League. He spent ten years in ten different clubs yet he never reached the level Arsenal expected when they signed him.

There are several others like Brazilian Denilson, Justin Hoyte, Henri Lansbury and others. How they remained at the club despite poor performance for such a long period is baffling.

Denilson who was once a former Arsenal favorite now plies his trade over at Cruzeiro on loan.
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He was amongst players for his team AL Wahda in the United Arab Emirates, before being shipped out to Cruzeiro to make space for a new mystery signing.

The midfielder who was signed by Cruzeiro on a loan contract in mid-July to run through till December is yet to regain his physical fitness. Since coming onto the club, he has featured no more than five times.

With time no longer on his side as things are moving quickly and with less than one month to go before his loan contract ends, he either has to find a way to prove himself here at Cruzeiro or risk being shipped back to Al Wahda who might have no space for him at the club.

The board at Cruzeiro are yet to make a statement on whether they would want him to remain with them after his contract expires, and thus renew his contract.

In an interview with Radio Globo, Denílson had this to say on his future at Cruzeiro,

“Nobody called me to talk about it. At the moment, in my mind, are ending my contract with Cruzeiro in December and I go back to my team in January to end the contract, which ends in a year and a half”

In order to bring on the player into their team, Cruzeiro had to part with a sum of $250,000. However, if they plan to keep Denílson further, .

“It was four months out, just made my second game as a starter. I feel good in games, but it is question of the same rhythms. But I’m fit, I came here to work, when you need me, I’ll be available,” he added

Former Arsenal midfielder Denilson recently sealed a move back to Brazilian football with Cruzeiro.

After having previously failed on his return to Brazil, the midfielder moved out of the country once again with Middle East outfit Al-Wahda. After having primarily played his football within Brazil, this was a major shock for the player. There were numerous reports claiming to portray the unhappiness of the player in the hot deserts of the Middle East. After several negotiations, Denilson secured a return back to Brazilian football but not with São Paulo as expected.

Instead, Denilson went on to join for one of the club’s rivals in the form of Cruzeiro. It would have been almost impossible for the player to make such a move directly, but since he has played for Al-Wahda, he has been able to make the transition without much hatred. The player made his debut for the Brazilian outfit in the 2-0 win overAméricaMineiro. It is widely anticipated that Denilson will be on the substitutes bench until he regains his full fitness. He was given the chance to make his debut while coming on as the late replacement for Romero, who had picked up a yellow card in the game against Santa Cruz.

Cruzeiro managed to get a relatively comfortable 2-0 victory and that Denilson is already looking forward to his first start for his new team.“Congratulate the club, the fans who attended, supported us. it is very interesting the support of the fans right now and I believe that we will every game be better to be fighting at the top. Today has to play ten minutinhos. You good, because he was three months stopped too. But feel this atmosphere, I felt today, is priceless. too thank the club and the fans,” said Denilson after the game.

It is becoming increasingly likely that Denilson will be leaving Al Wahda in the days to come.

Indeed, the club has announced that they will be making a marquee signing in order to replace the departing Brazilian. Denilson joined the club almost one year ago when he signed from Sao Paulo and helped the team won the Arabian Gulf final. After the final Denilson stated that he wanted to stay with the club for at least another year but it appears that there have been some changes in the relationship between the player and the club.

Al Wahda’s manager has stated that Denilson will be the only player that will be leaving the club this season as they are looking to build a competitive team to win the league as well as the Arabian Cup. He said that the club is busy negotiating the arrival of a new player that will replace Brazilian and once he is here he believes that Al Wahda will be far stronger.

The manager has refused to reveal the identity of the player and it is rumored that it might be Cardoso from Flamengo. The player has been in good form for his team where he has managed to score 17 goals in 94 games for the Brazilian club. The manager said that he cannot reveal the name of the player as they are still in the negotiation stage. He said that once the transfer is finalized, he will make a declaration.

Al Wahda is set to go on a training camp to Spain, and it is believed that the new player will only be revealed after the team returns from Spain. The managing director said that the club wants to win trophies and that the management will be investing massively in the club to help it progress.

Denilson, who is one of the biggest names in Brazilian football, is selling the online Poker brand after he was signed by the second biggest online poker website 888poker.

The player represented his country at the 2002 World cup in Korea Japan which they won. When he was still actively playing for the Brazilian national team, he was usually overshadowed by Ronaldo Delima and Roberto Carlos. Nevertheless, the talented retired star player spent most of his career at the La Liga but spent his last years in active football playing for FC Girondins de Bordeaux in the French league, FC Dallas when he played in the Major League Soccer, Hai Phong FC in Vietnam and even Nea Kavala FC in Greece.

The poker brand has a short lived deal with Luiz Suarez, popular Uruguay forward playing with Barcelona currently. The former Arsenal winger joined the ambassadors of the company who already has Dominik Nitsche, Bruno ‘Foster’ Politano and Jackie Glazier already.

Denilson, who broke the World record back when he signed for Real Betis for £21.5 million in 1998, said he was very elated joining one of the world’s biggest online poker platforms. He said he hopes joining would help him improve on his own skills and will encourage more people to play the game which he described as “exciting.”

The senior vice president of 888 Holdings, Itai Pazner, said through a statement, that Denilson was among those who played the game with “skill, enthusiasm and energy” so he was bringing all that to their poker team. He said the game was one that required a great deal of skill to play but that it was important to have fun playing the games at the online tables. The firm cancelled the deal with Luiz Suarez due to the biting incident at the 2014 World cup in Brazil.

Denilson has stated that he wants to play in the AFC Champions League with his club Al Wahda next season.

He said that he was very happy playing for the club and that he would want to stay with the club next season.

Denilson still has 2 years left on his contract with Al Wahda, but he has yet to talk with the president about next season. He said that at the moment he does not know whether he will be playing for the club again next season.

Denilson has headed back to Brazil just after the end of the season as he had to undergo surgery for a problem on his knees. Indeed, this recurring problem has plagued his career so far with Al Wahda, and he would want to treat it once and for all. He said that he would be spending the next 5-6 weeks in Brazil in order to recover from the surgery. He hopes to come back to the Emirates in better form so as to help his team achieve great things next season.

Denilson admitted that he does not know what the future holds and where he will be playing next season. He said that he was happy playing for Al Wahda and that he has helped them qualified for the AFC Champions League. However, they are only qualified for the play-offs, and they have a last hurdle to clear in order to participate in the tournament.

Denilson said that he is pleased for the fans as they have not been participating in this tournament since 2011. He admitted that it was an amazing season with the club winning the qualifications against all odds. He believes that next year will be a better one and that he will do everything he can in order to help the club win trophies.

Al Wahda have benefited immensely by splashing the cash on former Arsenal midfielder Denilson, as the Brazilian helped the club win their first major trophy in four years.

Al Wahda lifted the Arabian Gulf Cup by getting a 1-0 victory over Al Shabab. Previously, Al Wahda had gone four years without winning a major honour and this was a main factor in the club signing Denilson from the Brazilian league. Many were sceptical about the defensive midfielder improving the team, but it was Denilson who opened the scoring after just 16 seconds.

Al Wahda managed to retain their composure after making this flying start. They never allowed the opposition to get back into the game and held on for a clean sheet win. Even though the team was reduced to 10 men in the second half after the red card to Valdivia, the club remained composed and held on for a famous win. Wahda coach Javier Aguirre admitted that it was an extremely tough match for his team, but he is happy that they came out successful on top even with 10 men. He reminded supporters that the final about winning and does not care about the performance.

The club are now hoping to qualify for the Asian Champions League by finishing at least third in the league.“When you play in a final, you want to win some way or the other. The players rose to that occasion. That [red card] was a big blow and we had to react quickly during that period to control the emotions and preserve our lead. It happened at a critical time whith a minute left before half time.It was a tough, tough game, particularly when we had to play a full second half with 10 players,” said the coach of the Al Wahda.

Former Arsenal midfielder Denilson recently brought his spell in Brazilian football to an end by joining Middle East outfit Al Wahda.

Despite signing at Arsenal as a youngster, Denilson failed to establish himself as the years progressed. This led to his return to Brazilian football with São Paulo, where he has been for the last five years. He initially joined the club on a two-year loan spell from Arsenal before making the move permanent in 2013. During this period, he has been a first-team regular for the club. Somewhere along the line, he appears to have felt the need for a new challenge.

His four-year contract that was signed with São Paulo in 2013 was coming to an end and he made the switch toAl Wahda in the summer. The midfielder has spoken about the club’s form and his personal experiences about playing in the Middle East. This region has been home to several Brazilian players in the past. It may be one of the reasons behind Denilson finding himself happy at Abu Dhabi. Being settled is also one of the key towards his good form according to the midfielder, who says that he is giving his 100% in all games.

The player has one goal in 17 appearances forAl Wahda.“I am very happy here, my family as well. This was more important for me as my family, my son and my wife are very happy here. I just focus on my work – that is why I came.

It is not about just the life, I have safety here but you have to work.I come to work and to enjoy, also. It is an amazing country. You can go to Dubai or stay in Abu Dhabi. You can go anywhere.In my work, I just focus 100 per cent and give my best all the time in training and in games,” said Denilson.