Arsenal forward Wellington Silva is set to make his long-awaited debut during pre-season this summer after being granted Spanish citizenship and a passport, four years after being signed by Arsene Wenger, the Metro reports.
Silva joined in 2011 for a fee of £3.5m according to the report but constant issues regarding a work permit has meant that the Arsenal fans haven’t actually seen the forward in the flesh.
Now 22, Silva was signed as an 18 year-old-starlet and has been previously compared to Barcelona star Neymar (via The Telegraph) due to similarities in their wondrous ball control; however Neymar has developed at a more rapid pace than the Arsenal man.
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Silva is currently plying his trade in La Liga with Almeria and is finally getting the regular playing time he’s desperately needed following a number of loan spells. It remains to be seen whether or not Wenger sees the former Fluminense winger’s future at Arsenal, but the Frenchman will certainly be glad to be able to finally work with Silva.
Lo bueno tarda en llegar, pero llega y lo recibo con la mayor satisfacción del mundo. Nacionalidad española !! pic.twitter.com/GWFo9wYWzB
— Wellington Silva (@wsilva11) April 14, 2015