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Josh Dasilva admits Santi Cazorla used to embarrass him in Arsenal training
Brentford midfielder Josh Dasilva has admitted that Santi Cazorla used to embarrass him in Arsenal training.
The 24-year-old on The Beautiful Game Podcast about his time with The Gunners.
Dasilva was one of the brightest prospects in the Arsenal academy during his time with the club.
He managed to make three first-team appearances in the cup, before deciding to move on.
The midfielder could have had a longer career at Arsenal, but wanted to pursue more senior minutes.
He dropped down to the Championship, and to Birmingham fell through, ended up at Brentford.
The data-driven side saw plenty of positives in Dasilva that convinced them that he was the right fit for the club.
Although Dasilva may be glad they never saw him training alongside Santi Cazorla at Arsenal as a youngster.
The Spaniard was one of the most technically gifted players to showcase his talents at The Emirates.
He maintained those high levels of performance on the training ground too.
Dasilva says Cazorla embarrassed him in Arsenal training
Asked about his first experiences training with the senior team, : “I was 16, maybe just turned 17, and obviously you get the call-up like a day before one of their games.
“I remember playing against Santi Cazorla. Listen, I think there was one time I tried to press him, and he made me do like a full 360 spin.
“And the ball just came back to him, and the coach just said, ‘don’t press him’.
“Unbelievable touch, left foot, right foot, he’s taking inswinging corners from both sides and it’s going pinpoint.”
Cazorla was one of the senior players keeping Dasilva out of the Arsenal team as he was coming through at the club.
The 24-year-old made the right choice leaving the club when he did, and is now a regular Premier League player.
Arsenal are challenging for the Premier League with one of their most exciting squads in years.
However, there’s very few fans who would argue against having a player of Cazorla’s quality in midfield right now.
At 38, Cazorla is still playing in Qatar, but there has been talk he could return to Arsenal as a coach.
It would be a popular decision at the Emirates after his brilliant career with the Gunners.