Reyes seals return to Sevilla
Reuters - Thursday 05 January 2012, 16:30
Winger Jose Antonio Reyes
has quit Atletico Madrid and completed a move back to Sevilla,
the club in his native city where he began his professional
career said on Thursday.
The 28-year-old former Arsenal player had agreed a deal
until the end of the 2014/15 season, Sevilla said in a statement
on their website.
"He is coming home eight winters after leaving for Arsenal
for a juicy amount of money which turned out to be fundamental
in the construction of the current Sevilla team," the statement
said.
Reyes told a Spanish newspaper on Sunday he had decided to
leave Atletico even though new coach Diego Simeone was counting
on him and said his father's health had been a factor in his
decision to seek a move.
Local media have reported that Sevilla will pay Atletico 3.5
million euros to take him back plus bonuses.
He moved to Arsenal in 2004 for a fee of around 17 million
pounds, a club record for the English Premier
League side at the time.
However, he struggled to adapt to life away from home and
was loaned to Real Madrid two years later before signing for
Atletico in 2007.
He had been left out of the Atletico starting XI in recent
games after clashing with coach Gregorio Manzano, who was sacked
last month and replaced by former Argentina captain Simeone.
Reyes made 21 appearances for Spain, scoring four goals, and
last played for the world and European champions in August 2006.