Brazilian midfielder Denilson is all set to seal a permanent move to São Paulo after his contract with Arsenal is not going to be renewed. The 25-year-old arrived at the club many years ago as a youngster, but he has not been up to the standard Arsenal expected. As a result, he found first-team opportunities limited in recent years. This led to the loan move to São Paulo a few years ago, and he has been in Brazil since then. The midfielder was signed back in 2006 by manager Arsene Wenger, and the player has thanked the Frenchman for giving him the opportunity to play at such a big club.
The emergence of Jack Wilshere as a major player and the presence of Cesc Fabregas has curtailed the first team opportunities for Denilson in Europe. It now looks highly unlikely that he will return to European football after sealing a permanent move to São Paulo even at the age of 25. A contract is expected to be signed in the next few days. He has said that Arsenal will be forever in his memory due to the wonderful five years he spent at the club. Even though he is leaving the club, he will remember the trust put in by manager Wenger in his quality.
“Arsenal has been my home for five years and it will be in my memory forever. I had to learn things the hard way, but luckily I excelled and matured in England too. I have a lot more joy than sorrow in England and I still feel honoured to have played for so long in one of the top ten clubs in the world. I would like to thank all the players and staff who lived in this period, but especially to Arsene Wenger, who was arguably the person who most trusted and invested in me,” said Denilson.
