Alexander Hleb moves to Birmingham City
Where did it all go wrong for Alexander Hleb?
The one-time Arsenal player has signed for Birmingham City on loan for the season after gaining a work permit this morning.
The 29-year old signed for Arsenal back in 2005, and there is no doubt Arsenal fans admired his work-rate and dribbling skills every time he played. The one criticism of him would be his lack of goals, but he certainly created many for his teammates.
The Belarus international moved to Barcelona in 2008 from Arsenal, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to get into the first-team that is made up of Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi, so why did he move?
If Barcelona came in and made an offer for a player, how many would refuse the chance to play at the Camp Nou? They would tell themsleves that they can break into the first team.
Funnily enough, Hleb revealed last year he regretted making the move away from north London, saying: “I regret my move from London, but unfortunately nothing can be done about it now.”
These comments make Arsenal fans wonder why he left in the first place, and as all summer Barcelona have been trying to get their hands on Arsenal captain Cesc Fabrégas, Hleb has played the role of advisor to Fabrégas.
He told Fabrégas not to make the same mistake as he did. “I stay in touch with Cesc a lot and it's hard for me to judge what he should do. But I would advise him to stay.”
A sign of your career not going too well is if you go back on loan to the club where you made a name for yourself. Hleb went back to German side Stuttgart last season, a club where he enjoyed five seasons before moving to Arsenal, and now he is not wanted by Barcelona anymore.
Another loan move for Hleb is the best he can do.
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