Arsenal Transfer News: Cazorla Signing Complete, More to Follow?
Confirmation of the news Arsenal fans were waiting for finally came out today with Arsenal.com announcing the signing of Santiago Cazorla.
"Arsenal Football Club is delighted to announce that Spain international Santi Cazorla has joined the Club on a long-term contract,"Cazorlas former club Malaga also confirmed the deal, which Spanish and British media reported as being worth around £16 million. Cazorla is Arsenals third major summer signing, and will be looking to make an impact alongside fellow new boys Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud as The Gunners look to improve on last year's third placed finish. The 27-year-old has made 45 appearances for Spain, including brief cameos at Euro 2012 during Spain's championship winning tournament. He spent most of his career at Villarreal before joining Malaga last season in a blockbuster move that was supposed to signal intent on the part of the Andalusian side. He justified his price immediately, helping them qualify for the Champions League for the first time. In his first official statement since joining the club, Cazorla had this to say on the clubs website:
"Im so happy to be joining Arsenal," "This is a club with great players, a fantastic stadium and huge support," he added. "The club has one of the best managers in football and their style of play is recognised and admired all over the world." Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Cazorla would add "significant quality" to the squad. "He is a versatile, attacking midfield player who can play comfortably on either side of the pitch or centrally," Wenger told Arsenals website. "He has good pace, is technically gifted and will be a huge asset to Arsenal Football Club. We are delighted that he is joining us."The question now remains, does Arsenals business in this unusually fruitful transfer window end here, or will Arsene Wenger continue to pleasantly surprise fans by adding more players before the start of the season? Only time will tell...