| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Grégory Arnolin | ||
| Date of birth | 10 November 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Livry-Gargan, France | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sporting Gijón | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1999 | Paris SG | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2001 | PSG B | ||
| 1999–2000 | → Red Star SO (loan) | ||
| 2001–2002 | Villemomble | 0 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | Pedras Rubras | 46 | (7) |
| 2004–2006 | Gil Vicente | 53 | (11) |
| 2006–2008 | Marítimo | 44 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | Vitória Guimarães | 25 | (2) |
| 2009– | Sporting Gijón | 60 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 September 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Grégory Arnolin (born 10 November 1980 in Livry-Gargan, Seine-Saint-Denis), simply Grégory, is a French footballer who plays for Sporting de Gijón in Spain, as a central defender.
At the age of 16, Arnolin signed a semi-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. 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:
"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 £400,000 or a loan move - that is one of the issues we have to discuss".[1]
However, nothing came of it and Arnolin remained in Marítimo. On 7 June 2008, he signed for another Portuguese team, Vitória de Guimarães,[2] as he was also applying for Portuguese citizenship.
On 24 June 2009, Arnolin moved to Sporting de Gijón, on a three-year deal.[3] 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.[4]
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