Mikel Arteta has said his first impressions of his new signings have been very positive, as we kick off our Asia Tour in earnest.
We have added four players to the squad already this summer – Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke – and the boss was asked specifically about the latter two in his press conference on Monday in Singapore.
“It was a long, long process,” he said about completing the deal for Spain international midfielder Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. “He had a lot of opportunities to decide whether he wanted to come. The good news is that this club is amazing, and everybody wants to come to it. He left some very good opportunities to come to us.
“We are all very impressed with what we’ve seen in the last seven to ten days. Once you have the player daily there and you see his character, his personality, his intelligence, and how much he’s going to bring to the team. I’m very excited about it.”
The latest player through the door is England international forward Madueke, and the boss said it’s a coincidence that we have signed several players from Chelsea over the past few windows.
“It’s probably because they have some great players and a lot of players!” he said. “But we try to focus on the players that we want to sign, regardless of the club they are in. It’s probably a coincidence. What is not a coincidence is the squad and the quality of the squad. While I’m here as well, I congratulate them for winning the Club World Cup because I think it was a big achievement for them.
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Arteta on Singapore arrival and new signings
“With Noni, I’m very, very excited. You’ve seen the reaction of all the players as well, especially the ones that know him very well. He needs a little bit of a break now, but he will be with us soon showing what he’s going to bring to the team.”
The boss also revealed the latest on Gabriel, who missed the end of last season with a hamstring injury. He confirmed the Brazilian defender and the rest of the squad have reported back for duty in excellent shape.
“Well, we haven’t seen them for four or six weeks. They come back and they seem older, more mature, really excited. Gabi as well, because with his new contract as well he showed his commitment to the club and that he continues to grow in his role. So I’m very pleased.
“He played 45 minutes against Watford on Saturday. He looks in good shape. William Saliba as well. We have missed a lot of players at the end of the season, but they all look to be in the right direction and to be fit and contributing too.”
We will play AC Milan and Newcastle United while in Singapore, before ending our Asia Tour against Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong. You can stream the matches by buy a Match Pass here.
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