Gary Lewin explains why Arsenal decided to sign a player who was diagnosed with a knee problem during a medical before selling him two-and-a-half years later for £25million.
Former Arsenal physio Gary Lewin has revealed the Gunners made a £20m profit after signing a player two years ago with a „dislocated knee”.
Lewin spent 22 years at Arsenal between 1986 and 2008 and enjoyed several successful years in north London. The 59-year-old was physio for the Gunners’ unbeaten season in 2003/04 and two years later when they reached the Champions League final.
His time at Arsenal ended in August 2008 when he became head of physiotherapy for the England national team. Lewin spent several years with the Three Lions before rejoining the Gunners as physio for the women’s side. Lewin also spent some time at West Ham.
But Lewin can remember one moment that stood out during his tenure at Arsenal – when the Gunners signed a player with knee problems. He told Fozcast: „We signed a player for around £5m – a well-known international player. He got injured 18 months before we signed him.
„We did a full medical on him and we saw an orthopedic surgeon and the surgeon said, 'He’s got early signs of degenerative knee surgery and you’ll have him for three or four years in this condition and then the knee will start to deteriorate’.
„So we went back to the board, we assessed that risk, spoke to the manager and he said 'we’re going to sign him, that’s great information, I’ll use it in the future’.
„I didn’t think anything of it. Two-and-a-half years later, we won some trophies and he played a big part in it. We sold him to another European club for £25m. He retired after 18 months.” There was no suggestion that Arsenal sold the player knowing he would not play for much longer.
During Lewin’s time as a physio at Arsenal, John Terry thanked the former Chelsea captain for saving his life after swallowing his tongue in the League Cup final in 2007. „I owe you,” I admit.
Meanwhile, Eduardo credited Lewin with saving his start and career after suffering a broken leg during a game against Birmingham in 2008. The former Arsenal forward told the News of the World: „The injury was so bad I could have lost my foot. So I’ll always be grateful to Gary for what he did to reduce the risk to my leg.
„It was decisive. I don’t remember much about the blow. „I remember the pain, seeing my leg spin, but I only regained my senses in the hospital.”
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