Arsenal have completed the signing of Germany defender
Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia for a reported fee of £35 million.
Mustafi, 24, is the
third major signing for manager Arsene Wenger this summer after central
midfielder Granit Xhaka joined in May from Gladbach and £17m striker Lucas Perez arrived from
Deportivo La Coruna on Tuesday, taking the club's spending to
over £90m in this transfer window.
The German solves a
defensive crisis for Wenger's men after Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista
were injured in preseason. While 20-year-old Rob Holding has impressed in the
team's first three games, Mustafi is expected to earn an immediate starting
role alongside Laurent Koscielny in Arsenal's back four.
Mustafi will join up
with his new teammates after the international break, and both he and Perez
should be available for Arsenal's next Premier League game against Southampton
on Sept. 10.
Arsène Wenger told the club's official website:
"He is at the right age. He has good experience. He is a very focused
player who can play with the ball as well. We have taken a great player but
have prepared well for the future."
The defender
established himself as one of Valencia's top players last season and already
has plenty of international experience, helping Germany win the World Cup in
2014 and also playing at the European Championship this summer. He said on
Sunday that fellow Germany international Mesut Ozil had helped convince him to
join the Gunners.
"He told me
everything I wanted to know. Everything was positive, so I was convinced very
fast. It did not take much," Mustafi told Sky Sports Germany.
"I have always
loved Arsenal, I like how they play here, it is not typical English. The game
here is more like in Spain and with the German national team, keeping the ball
on the grass, so it was easy to convince me."
With Mustafi
signing for the Gunners, Calum Chambers has completed his
season-long loan move to Middlesbrough.
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