Spain star could now be playing at the Emirates instead had things turned out differently.
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New Manchester City signing Jesus Navas has revealed that he very nearly joined Arsenal three years ago, reports the Daily Star.
The exciting Spain international completed a £14.9 million move to Eastlands from Liga outfit Sevilla just last month, however, speaking on City’s pre-season tour of the Far East, the 26-year-old said that Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger attempted to lure him to the Emirates just after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
However, at the time the wide man was enjoying his football in Southern Spain, with Sevilla competing in the UEFA Champions League and winning trophies in the form of the Copa del Rey, which meant the Spaniard had no real reason to up sticks and move.
And perhaps more importantly, Navas was also still suffering then from the chronic bouts of home sickness that have badly affected him over the years, although thankfully those symptoms are now very much a thing of the past.
“At that time, I was still winning and achieving things at Seville and therefore it wasn’t the right time to move,” explained Navas while in Hong Kong with the rest of the City squad.
“My time at Seville was great but we haven’t won anything for two or three years and I feel now is the right time to move on. I am ambitious to win things. I always demand 100 per cent from myself so for that reason it was the right time to go.
“It was a few years ago now,” Navas said of his home sickness.
“It’s all in the past and I’ve moved on.
“Otherwise I wouldn’t be here now. I have a wife and young baby now and having them in England will help me settle.”
Navas played in 388 matches for Sevilla between 2003 and 2013, registering an eye-catching 34 goals and 77 assists along the way in that time.