Fran Merida was brought to Arsenal with as much excitement around his future as Cesc Fabregas, but it never quite worked out for the midfielder at Arsenal, so where did he end up?

Fran Merida is now 33.

He signed for Arsenal from Barcelona in 2005 for £2.88m with massive things expected of him, but by 2009, he was out of the club on loan with Real Sociedad and only returned for a few months to see out the end of his Arsenal contract.

By his own admission, Merida was not patient enough as he waited for his chance with the first team.

“It was a mistake, I wasn’t patient,” he said in 2015. “I realise that now, but I’ve never been a patient person.

“I had some opportunities but the competition was high,” he added.

“Arsenal brought Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere into the first-team. Nasri, Fabregas, Rosicky and Denilson were also in my position.

“It was difficult for me.”

Merida only managed 17 appearances for the Arsenal first team, scoring two and assisting another two.

His loan with Real Sociedad saw him score just one in 17.

When his Arsenal contract expired in 2010, Merida signed for Atletico Madrid on a free but after 30 appearances in his first season, he was sent off on loan again, this time to SC Braga, where he made just eight appearances, scoring one.

Just like his time at Arsenal, Merida returned from that loan but left on a free some months later, joining Hercules CF. There, he played 19 times, scoring one.

Just six months later, Merida was off on another free transfer, this time leaving Spain to sign for Atletico Paranaense in Brazil. 13 appearances followed there along with another solitary goal.

“It was an idea of ​​president Mário Celso Petraglia and that we, from the technical commission, endorsed,” Ricardo Drubsky, their then-coach said about the player.

“He was a very nice boy, he didn’t give me any problems. He had a lot of quality, especially in his left leg. With me he played a few games, but in team there was Paulo Baier in a great phase.

“He had a little difficulty in adapting because of the language. I remember he was in his language and he was more shy. There were almost no foreigners in the cast. The situation is easier today,” he added.

Just 12 months later, Merida was back in Spain, a free transfer taking him to SD Huesca where he played 60 times and scored 10. It was the start of a more settled phase of Merida’s career.

His spell with SD Huesca was enough to generate only the second transfer fee of Merida’s career when Osasuna paid £450k for him.

With that move, it finally seemed like Merida had found a home. The then-26-year-old spent four years with Osasuna, making 100 appearances, scoring 11 and assisting seven.

But once Merida’s contract expired, he moved on another free this summer.

This time, he was off to China to sign for Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, located in Tianjin on the shore of Bohai Sea on China’s north coast.

There, he has made 29 appearances, scoring four goals and is where he is playing today.

Tianjin Jinmen Tiger are currently 4th in the Chinese Super League and Merida’s contract in China runs until the end of 2023 when the Chinese league season ends at the end of December.