After six years on Arsenal's books, having joined the Gunners as a highly coveted youngster from Barcelona back in 2011 as a 16-year-old, Jon Toral's decision to join Championship side Hull City closes the book on his challenging stint in North London.
Battling horrific injury issues that saw him have to endure four knee operations within his first two years at Arsenal, plus many frustrating setbacks over the course of his four loan spells at Brentford, Granada, Rangers and Birmingham City, Toral will be desperate to remain injury free from now on so he can get some valuable traction in his playing career.
Still just 22, thankfully time is on the Spaniard's side moving forward, however, as his venture to Hull should provide him with an ideal platform to shine away from the ultra competitive environment at Arsenal which forced him to persistently leave on loan in search of first-team football.
Speaking on his arrival at the team now managed by charismatic Russian Leonid Slutsky, Toral expressed his delight about joining the Tigers. "This is a massive move for me, the biggest so far in my career, and I can't wait to get started," he announced on Hull's official website.
"I'm really happy to be here. I have experienced playing in the Championship before and it is a league that I enjoyed playing in. I want to use that experience now and to help this team achieve its aims. This is a key moment for me and it just felt like the time was right to make that permanent move.
"I've had a few loan moves over the last couple of years but now I want to settle somewhere and be there for the long term, and I'm really looking forward to getting started here now."
Toral then went onto add how he looks forward to working under Slutsky's tutelage, who's best known for his work in charge of CSKA Moscow and the Russian national team, while also noting his desire to help the recently relegated Hull return to the Premier League.
A brilliant technician, who excels in the arts of passing, dribbling and finding space within the usually crowded attacking third, areas of his game that were evidently well honed in Barcelona's famed La Masia youth academy, he'll inject some essential creativity and quality into Hull's squad. Moreover, his familiarity with the rigours of the Championship from his stints at Brentford and Birmingham should hold him good stead to hit the ground running and make an immediate impact.
Indeed, his last venture in the English second tier will give him immense confidence to draw from, where he feautured 36 times for Birmingham on his way to scoring eight goals, supplying four assists and winning the Players’ Player of the Season, Supporters’ Player of the Season and the club's goal of the season.
Slutsky's comments on his new £3million acquisition evidence his joy at coaching such an interesting player, saying: “He is a classic number 10 and he can turn defence into attack very quickly. We have a lot of players with the same situation, he come down from Premier League and he has a serious motivation for developing.”
While we'll have to wait how his latest adventure plays out, all the signs appear positive that the conditions are right for Toral to really fulfill his potential at Hull.
The main caveat will, of course, be - if he can remain fit.
