Why Pablo Garcia's Arsenal Move Fell Through as Racing Santander Sealed Deal
Arsenal came close to signing Pablo Garcia, the 20-year-old attacker from Real Betis, but were overtaken by Racing Santander on transfer deadline day with a £4.3 million deal. The forward was reportedly nearly secured by the Gunners before choosing to stay in Spain permanently.
Deadline Day Drama
The transfer window’s final moments saw Arsenal lose out on Garcia. The London club had planned to acquire the promising right-sided attacker and then loan him out for first-team experience. Instead, Racing Santander secured a permanent arrangement featuring shared ownership.
Racing Sporting Director Speaks
Chema Aragon, Racing Santander’s sporting director, revealed how close Arsenal were to signing the player. He told the press,
"It seemed like it was done with Arsenal, and then we came in too on loan. Yesterday things changed, and what seemed to be a loan turned into a shared ownership deal."
He went on to compare Garcia to Raul Gonzalez Blanco, emphasizing his goal-scoring instincts and how important it was to replace the scoring threat lost after Andres Martin’s injury. Aragon said they acted immediately when the chance to sign Garcia appeared.
Emotional Farewell at Betis
Garcia ends a 14-year connection with Real Betis, having joined the club at just five years old. Despite his long tenure, regular playing time was scarce under Manuel Pellegrini last season, with only two league starts and one Europa League appearance.
After leaving the club’s training ground visibly emotional, Garcia shared an open letter with supporters, saying,
"I arrived at Betis when I was five years old. I’m leaving after almost fourteen years growing up with these thirteen stripes. Here I learned to play, to compete, to lose, to win and to dream. I went through all the categories of the Betis youth academy until fulfilling the dream of debuting with the first team."
"I experienced special goals and moments that will always stay with me. Betis has been my home since I was a child. And now, although it’s time to move on, there’s something that doesn’t change. I arrived as a Betis fan and I’m leaving as a footballer."
New Chapter at Racing Santander
This move presents Garcia with the chance to secure consistent first-team action in Spain. Expectations are high for him to make an immediate impact. The 20-year-old could feature as soon as this weekend when Racing Santander face Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
- Transfer fee: £4.3 million
- Player age: 20 years
- Previous club: Real Betis
- New club: Racing Santander
- League debut potential: vs Rayo Vallecano this weekend
