Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has given reasons why they decided to sign Leandro Trossard from Brighton.
The Gunners completed a £27 million transfer for the 28-year-old on Friday.
Arteta jumped in to beat Tottenham to his signature after consulting his assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg, who was Trossard’s manager at Genk six years ago.
And after confirming the oldest player he has signed since Willian is available to face Manchester United on Sunday, he insisted: “We are very confident we are signing the right person and the right player.”
Why Trossard left Brighton
Trossard, 28, left Brighton with coach Roberto De Zerbi making ominous noises about his attitude, but Arteta is backing Arsenal’s due diligence, saying: “We know the player, we obviously dig into the experiences and the personality and the relationship he had at other clubs.
“We are very confident we are signing the right person and the right player. It’s very simple – the squad can absorb right now a player of 28 years old with the right experience, the right versatility and the right quality.
“And as well with the right price, for sure. We had no questions about that. It is not that we had to sign 20, 21, 22-year-olds for the next five years. That is not the plan. We need to have a balance – at the moment we have a really good balance in the squad and it can absorb a player of that age.
“The opportunity came and we had the necessity for a player in the front line who is versatile enough to play different positions. He knows the league, he has enough experience here and I think he can have an immediate impact on the team.
“It depends a lot on the moment, but when you bring somebody from a club that has experience in this league, which is a really demanding league – especially when you don’t have time for preparation – it was something that was very important for us.”