As has been rumored for what seems to have been months, today Arsenal officially announced the departure of winger/forward/noted chip shot enthusiast and erstwhile Mexican international Carlos Vela to Spanish club Real Sociedad for the traditional "undisclosed fee." Real Sociedad announced the move almost a month ago, so obviously we all knew that it had happened. But for reasons that will likely remain a mystery forevermore, Arsenal waited until today to make the deal officially official by announcing it.

Our club website can be...weird.

Carlos Vela spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad, scoring 12 goals in 35 appearances at the Basque club. It's a good match, as he was successful there and seemed happy, and the chances of him contributing much to Arsenal in the future were slim. He was overpaid and underused, and low on the depth chart. This truly is the best possible outcome for both club and player.

He scored 11 times for Arsenal in about three years. He loved chipped shots and had an almost Bendtnerian profligacy in front of goal. Hopefully he does well in Spain, but he was certainly surplus to requirements here.