Gregory Arnolin
Encyclopedia
Grégory Arnolin simply Grégory, is a French
footballer who plays for Sporting de Gijón
in Spain
, as a central defender.
contract with Paris Saint-Germain FC. During his spell at the club, however, he would never play for the first team.
In the summer of 2001, after a loan to FC Red Star Saint-Ouen, Arnolin's contract with PSG ran out and he became a free agent
. He was quickly snapped up by semi-professional outfit Villemomble Sports
(also in Paris, competing in the fourth division). However, he never appeared in a league match for the team, and in the summer of 2002 was released.
Arnolin then moved to Portugal
to play for F.C. Pedras Rubras
, in the third level
. After solid performances, he attracted attention from bigger clubs in the country, and eventually signed his first professional contract with Gil Vicente FC, in the top flight. In his second season, he netted an impressive nine league goals for the Barcelos
side, catching the eye of Madeira
-based C.S. Marítimo, and signing a two-year contract with the club in the summer of 2006. After only missing one league game in his first season, he played second-fiddle in the second (15 appearances).
On 12 June 2007, British
sports channel Sky Sports
reported that Arnolin was preparing to sign for West Bromwich Albion
of the Football League Championship
after manager Tony Mowbray
made it clear that the player was one of his summer transfer targets. The player's agent, former footballer Rudi Vata
, said to the Birmingham Mail
:
However, nothing came of it and Arnolin remained in Marítimo. On 7 June 2008, he signed for another Portuguese team, Vitória de Guimarães, as he was also applying for Portuguese citizenship.
On 24 June 2009, Arnolin moved to Sporting de Gijón
, on a three-year deal. In only his third game for the Asturians
, he scored with a header, as 10-men Sporting levelled 2–2 at Valencia CF
, with just four minutes to go.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
footballer who plays for Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, as a central defender.
Football career
At the age of 16, Arnolin signed a semi-professionalSemi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
contract with Paris Saint-Germain FC. During his spell at the club, however, he would never play for the first team.
In the summer of 2001, after a loan to FC Red Star Saint-Ouen, Arnolin's contract with PSG ran out and he became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was quickly snapped up by semi-professional outfit Villemomble Sports
Villemomble Sports
Villemomble Sports is a French football club based in Villemomble . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Championnat de France Amateurs , holding hold home games at the Stade Georges Pompidou, which has a capacity of 1,000.Team colours are blue and white.-Honours:*Amateur Championship :...
(also in Paris, competing in the fourth division). However, he never appeared in a league match for the team, and in the summer of 2002 was released.
Arnolin then moved to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
to play for F.C. Pedras Rubras
F.C. Pedras Rubras
F.C. Pedras Rubras is a Portuguese football club from the town of Pedras Rubras, a parish of Maia, in the region of Greater Porto.-Brief history:...
, in the third level
Portuguese Second Division
The Portuguese Second Division is a football league in Portugal, situated at the third level of the Portuguese football league system...
. After solid performances, he attracted attention from bigger clubs in the country, and eventually signed his first professional contract with Gil Vicente FC, in the top flight. In his second season, he netted an impressive nine league goals for the Barcelos
Barcelos, Portugal
Barcelos is a city in Barcelos Municipality in Braga District. The city has a population of 20,625.-History:Originally a Roman settlement, it expanded and became the seat of the First Duke of Bragança in the 15th century...
side, catching the eye of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
-based C.S. Marítimo, and signing a two-year contract with the club in the summer of 2006. After only missing one league game in his first season, he played second-fiddle in the second (15 appearances).
On 12 June 2007, British
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sports channel Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
reported that Arnolin was preparing to sign for West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
of the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
after manager Tony Mowbray
Tony Mowbray
Anthony Mark "Tony" Mowbray is an English former professional football player, who is currently the manager of Middlesbrough...
made it clear that the player was one of his summer transfer targets. The player's agent, former footballer Rudi Vata
Rudi Vata
Rudi Vata is a former Albanian footballer who played as a defender. He is the manager of Albanian team KS Vllaznia Shkoder....
, said to the Birmingham Mail
Birmingham Mail
The Birmingham Mail is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, UK but distributed around Birmingham, The Black Country, Solihull, Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The newspaper, which was re-branded from the Birmingham Evening Mail in October 2005, is one of the biggest...
:
"There is a good possibility that Grégory will join West Bromwich but there are still issues to be resolved. We should know more at the end of this month when people are back from holiday and all focus switches towards pre-season. I think there is a big chance he will be a West Bromwich player next season. He is well aware of how close they were to playing in the Premiership and the club's ambitions match his own. What we don't know yet is whether it would be a transfer for about £Pound signThe pound sign is the symbol for the pound sterling—the currency of the United Kingdom . The same symbol is used for similarly named currencies in some other countries and territories, such as the Irish pound, Gibraltar pound, Australian pound and the Italian lira...
400,000 or a loan move - that is one of the issues we have to discuss".
However, nothing came of it and Arnolin remained in Marítimo. On 7 June 2008, he signed for another Portuguese team, Vitória de Guimarães, as he was also applying for Portuguese citizenship.
On 24 June 2009, Arnolin moved to Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
, on a three-year deal. In only his third game for the Asturians
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, he scored with a header, as 10-men Sporting levelled 2–2 at Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, with just four minutes to go.