Former Arsenal midfielder Kelechi Nwakali says the Gunners tried to keep him before he secured a permanent month to Huesca last year.
The 21-year-old arrived in north London to great fanfare in January 2016 a few months after a starring role in the Under-17 World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament as Nigeria lifted the trophy for the fifth time in their history.
However Nwakali would never play a game for the Gunners during his three-and-a-half years on their books. Loan spells at MVV Maastricht, VVV Venlo and Porto B offered little to suggest he might eventually develop into a contender for regular minutes with Arsenal and his move to the Spanish second tier went relatively unnoticed by supporters.
Nwakali, though, insists that Arsenal were reluctant to let him walk out of the door and believed that further loan moves would help him develop.
“The deal was even done the last day of the transfer window, they didn't want me to leave but at the same time I was giving them reasons why I should leave Arsenal,” Nwakali revealed in a video interview posted on the Instagram page Eagles Tracker.
“Staying in England and not playing, going on loan, I went on loan three times.
“It’s better I go to a place where I can settle instead of going to a place after one year I’ll leave, go to another place, it was difficult moving around, from Netherlands then Portugal.
“Even if it’s going to take time, I’ll work it out, I have still got age on my side.”
Nwakali struggled to establish himself after joining Huesca as he had to wait for clearance from the Spanish government before joining up with his new team-mates in January. He is yet to play a game this season at club level and last featured on the international stage in November, playing for Nigeria at the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
