Reports in Spain and Portugal claim Benfica have offered just 4m euros to buy out the remaining 75% of Atletico Madrid’s former Arsenal star Jose Antonio Reyes’s contract. The club has missed a number of deadlines imposed by Atletico in regards to the deal leaving the Spaniard’s career in limbo as he is not wanted in Madrid. Despite a spectacular fall from grace, Reyes is a talent and for such a small fee would hardly be much of a gamble for a number of Premier League clubs including his former side Arsenal.
The 25-year-old’s career has taken a downturn since leaving the Gunners in the summer of 2006 but surely a player of his age, quality and experience is well worth a gamble as the undoubtedly talented player looks to rebuild his career. Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool have reportedly enquired about his availability so a move back to the Premier League may now be on.
Reyes spent last season playing for Benfica on loan where he made 24 league appearances (20 starts) and scored just 4 goals. The Lisbon club finished a disappointing 3rd in the league although they did win a League Cup on penalties against Sporting with Reyes scoring the equaliser in the initial 1-1 draw. The Portuguese giants are rumoured to be in financial difficulty which has made a permanent deal for the Spaniard highly unlikely. This has left the Spaniard facing a return to Atletico where he struggled to start a match.
Despite being just 25, Reyes has already played for five different clubs including Sevilla, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Benfica. He began his career with Sevilla and was extremely popular after scoring 22 goals in 86 league games from a left-wing position. Reyes signed for Arsenal in a £10.5m deal in January 2004 joining a side that were in superb form and would remain unbeaten in the league leading to the tag ‘the Invincibles’. His departure from Seville caused the Spanish fans to demonstrate in protest at the sale of their cult hero. In two and a half seasons the Spaniard scored 16 goals in 69 league appearances in North London (53 starts).
An excellent start to his first full season in England saw Reyes score in each of the first five matches but his form waned and rumours of home sickness came to light. He signed a new 5-year contract in July 2005 and played his part in Arsenal’s march to the 2006 Champions League final in where he came on as a substitute in the defeat against Barcelona.
Reyes joined Real Madrid on loan that summer in exchange for Julio Baptista but struggled to break into the first team making just 14 starts in La Liga as well as 16 substitute appearances while scoring 6 goals. Despite a disappointing time at the Bernabeu, Reyes finished on a high as he scored twice on the final day of the season for Real to win the title. The Madrid giants had been 1-0 down when he came on as a substitute and scored with his first touch.
Instead of signing permanently with Real, Reyes moved to their rivals Atletico but again struggled to make an impact. He made 26 league appearances (10 starts) and failed to score. This prompted the club to loan him to Benfica last season after selling 25% of his playing rights to the Portuguese club.
Not only has the player’s club form deteriorated but he has also disappeared from the international set-up. Reyes earnt his first Spanish cap in September 2003 but failed to make the Euro 2004 squad. He was part of the 2006 World Cup squad but has drifted out of the international set-up as his club form has dipped in recent seasons. The Spaniard has won 21 caps and scored 4 goals at that level.
At 25 the player still has the opportunity to return to the top level and David Moyes may be the man to resurrect the Spanish star’s career. Everton may have shown an interest but Liverpool need cover in a number of positions and with their club packed with Spanish talent and staff, surely problems with home-sickness would not arise. Reyes could act as understudy to Torres up front or to Steven Gerrard as 2nd striker. He can also play on the wing so surely for such a low fee he could prove to be the bargain of the summer. Reyes has the pace and dribbling ability to offer something different to the current Liverpool squad without breaking the bank so could prove to be an absolute snip.
The 25-year-old’s career has taken a downturn since leaving the Gunners in the summer of 2006 but surely a player of his age, quality and experience is well worth a gamble as the undoubtedly talented player looks to rebuild his career. Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool have reportedly enquired about his availability so a move back to the Premier League may now be on.
Reyes spent last season playing for Benfica on loan where he made 24 league appearances (20 starts) and scored just 4 goals. The Lisbon club finished a disappointing 3rd in the league although they did win a League Cup on penalties against Sporting with Reyes scoring the equaliser in the initial 1-1 draw. The Portuguese giants are rumoured to be in financial difficulty which has made a permanent deal for the Spaniard highly unlikely. This has left the Spaniard facing a return to Atletico where he struggled to start a match.
Despite being just 25, Reyes has already played for five different clubs including Sevilla, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Benfica. He began his career with Sevilla and was extremely popular after scoring 22 goals in 86 league games from a left-wing position. Reyes signed for Arsenal in a £10.5m deal in January 2004 joining a side that were in superb form and would remain unbeaten in the league leading to the tag ‘the Invincibles’. His departure from Seville caused the Spanish fans to demonstrate in protest at the sale of their cult hero. In two and a half seasons the Spaniard scored 16 goals in 69 league appearances in North London (53 starts).
An excellent start to his first full season in England saw Reyes score in each of the first five matches but his form waned and rumours of home sickness came to light. He signed a new 5-year contract in July 2005 and played his part in Arsenal’s march to the 2006 Champions League final in where he came on as a substitute in the defeat against Barcelona.
Reyes joined Real Madrid on loan that summer in exchange for Julio Baptista but struggled to break into the first team making just 14 starts in La Liga as well as 16 substitute appearances while scoring 6 goals. Despite a disappointing time at the Bernabeu, Reyes finished on a high as he scored twice on the final day of the season for Real to win the title. The Madrid giants had been 1-0 down when he came on as a substitute and scored with his first touch.
Instead of signing permanently with Real, Reyes moved to their rivals Atletico but again struggled to make an impact. He made 26 league appearances (10 starts) and failed to score. This prompted the club to loan him to Benfica last season after selling 25% of his playing rights to the Portuguese club.
Not only has the player’s club form deteriorated but he has also disappeared from the international set-up. Reyes earnt his first Spanish cap in September 2003 but failed to make the Euro 2004 squad. He was part of the 2006 World Cup squad but has drifted out of the international set-up as his club form has dipped in recent seasons. The Spaniard has won 21 caps and scored 4 goals at that level.
At 25 the player still has the opportunity to return to the top level and David Moyes may be the man to resurrect the Spanish star’s career. Everton may have shown an interest but Liverpool need cover in a number of positions and with their club packed with Spanish talent and staff, surely problems with home-sickness would not arise. Reyes could act as understudy to Torres up front or to Steven Gerrard as 2nd striker. He can also play on the wing so surely for such a low fee he could prove to be the bargain of the summer. Reyes has the pace and dribbling ability to offer something different to the current Liverpool squad without breaking the bank so could prove to be an absolute snip.
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