Whatever happened to Andre Santos?

On this day in 2013 Andre Santos was loaned out to Gremio after finding himself just the latest in a long string of players against whom some in the Arsenal crowd had turned.   Despite playing 24 times for Brazil he was deemed by some as unsuitable for Arsenal after he had been seen swapping shirts with Robin van Persie.

In all he only played 25 games for Arsenal before being transferred to Flamengo in 2013.   From 2016 to 2018 he played for Boluspor in the Turkish league and in 2018 moved back to Brazil to join Figueirense at the age of 36.

Here are the anniversaries.

11 February 1888: Contrary to many reports, the first match at the Manor Field (later the Manor Ground) and home of Arsenal until 1913 was not on this day but was against Millwall Rovers on 30 March 1888.  The game on this day against Millwall was played at the Sportsman Ground, Plumstead.

11 February 1893: Arsenal played Small Heath in one of over 50 friendly games in the season as preparations continue for possible entry into the Football League.  The crowd of 3,000 was below average, but with the players now professional regular games were required to keep the money flowing in. Arsenal won 3-1.

11 February 1905: Debut of Andy Ducat v Blackburn.  He won caps for football and cricket, and was eventually sold to Aston Villa in 1912 for £1000, as part of the cost-cutting measures as the club prepared to move to Highbury.

11 February 1920: Arsenal had the return game with Aston Villa, having lost 0-1 at home.  And the result was just as disappointing away – Arsenal lost again 1-2. White got a penalty for Arsenal as they slipped down to 12th.

11 February 1922: Newcastle 3 Arsenal 1, the start of a five match losing streak in the league in which Arsenal scored just one goal.  Arsenal ended the season 17th, the lowest position since rejoining the first division in 1919.

11 February 1933: Arsenal could only draw with Blackpool 1-1.  Villa won, thus once again putting the pressure on Arsenal, being three points behind but still with one game in hand, But the main talking point was about the match in Merseyside in which Liverpool beat Everton 7-4.

11 February 1933: Last game for Horace Cope v Blackpool.  Despite joining for over £3000 he fell out of favour with Chapman and by the time the trophies began he was mostly a reserve player.

11 February 1950: Arsenal 2 Burnley 0 in the Fifth round of the FA Cup en route to winning the competition.  Dennis Compton and Reg Lewis scored.

11 February 1961: Last game for Len Wills v Cardiff.  He played 195 times for Arsenal; his only league club.   Reports suggest he later ran a sports shop in Southgate, Middlesex, and also worked in the hardware and DIY business.   He lives now in retirement in Epping.

11 February 1978: Having  seen a run of just two defeats since mid-October end with two consecutive losses in which Arsenal didn’t score, Arsenal drew away to Leicester with just 15,780 in the crowd.

11 February 1988: David Hillier became a professional at Arsenal.  He went on to play 104 league games for Arsenal and scored two goals before moving to Portsmouth.

11 February 1992: Arsenal 1 Norwich 1 in front of 22,890 – the lowest attendance of the season.  Rockets and flares were let off in protest against the Arsenal Bond scheme.  This was the ninth game in a run of just one win, scoring four goals.

11 February 2012.  Thierry Henry scored his final goal in his final match for Arsenal in the 91st minute, against Sunderland for Arsenal to win 2-1.  Ramsey scored the other in a run of seven consecutive wins.

11 February 2013: Andre Santos loaned to Gremio in Brazil.  He had come from Fenerbahçe but only played 55 league games scoring 10 goals for them.  He went on to play 25 games for Arsenal.

11 February 2016: Arsenal 2 Hull City 0.  It was a welcome relief as the game was the only win amid three defeats including the first of two 5-1 trouncings by Bayern Munich.

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