Santi Cazorla considered quitting but targets 2019 Arsenal return after tenth operation

Jack Rosser @JackRosser_24 January 2018

Santi Cazorla is targeting a return to top-flight football in 2019 as he battles back from a tenth surgery.

The Spaniard hasn’t appeared in an Arsenal shirt since a 6-0 win over Ludogrets in October 2016, and has since undergone a succession of operations and almost lost a foot to gangrene.

The 33-year-old, whose contract at the Emirates is up this summer, has revealed how he has almost quit at times over the last year.

However, providing things go well, the former Malaga midfielder is aiming to make his Gunners return next year, despite having lost eight centimetres from the tendon in his right ankle.

"There have been moments when I've thought about throwing in the towel. I've thought things like 'maybe it is not worth continuing'," Cazorla told Spanish outlet RTVE.

"If things go well, maybe next year I can play at the top level again.

Cazorla suffered a further setback after infection followed a skin graft.
Pablo Garcia/MARCA

"The last surgery was seven weeks ago, and my tenth in total. The first surgery was risky because I took many corticosteroids and the skin deteriorated.

"Then a skin graft was proposed and after that, the infection ate my tendon."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in