"If I have the possibility to come back, I will be back." Santi Cazorla said that back in 2023, and now that he's officially retired at 41, those words carry a lot more weight.
The former Spain international confirmed his retirement after ending his playing career at Real Oviedo, the boyhood club where it all began. Six years at Arsenal, silverware in Spain, England, and Qatar, even the captaincy of La Roja in 2019 — Cazorla's career covered more ground than almost anyone of his generation, and he did it with a technical quality that made him look effortless even when teams were specifically trying to stop him.
What a return to Arsenal might actually look like
The North London angle is the one worth watching. Cazorla has been open about wanting to return to Arsenal in some capacity — not necessarily as a coach, but potentially as a sporting director or in an executive role. Arteta, his former teammate, has already spoken warmly about the prospect.
"We used to get on really, really well," Arteta said in April 2024. "I think he had an unbelievable energy that, as a coaching staff, to have someone like that, that can trust with his knowledge, but his energy as well to the team. I think it's going to be valid."
That's not just a friendly compliment — Arteta is a manager who builds culture deliberately. He doesn't say things like that without meaning them. Whether Cazorla ends up in the dugout or the boardroom, Arsenal have a genuine interest in bringing him back into the fold.
Cazorla himself has been equally direct: "I don't know which position in the club, as a coach or sports director. But of course, I would like to come back in the future."
The injury shadow over his Gunners years
What makes Cazorla's Arsenal legacy complicated — and in some ways more poignant — is that injuries cut short what could have been an even greater chapter. He arrived as one of the most technically gifted midfielders in the Premier League, capable of playing either side of a double pivot with equal intelligence. Then came a serious ankle problem in late 2016 that kept him out for nearly two years.
He fought back and went on to play meaningful football for Villarreal and Al Sadd, which says everything about his character. But Arsenal fans were left wondering what the last two or three years of his time at the club could have produced.
The door, as Cazorla himself acknowledges, has always been open. Now that he's no longer a player, the next move is his to make.
