SCHNEIDERLIN SIGNS FOR ARSENAL
Southampton captain and French international Morgan Schneiderlin has completed a £19 million move which sees him join Arsenal.
The Gunners were rumoured to be pursuing a defensive midfielder this summer, following the departures of Mathieu Flamini and Francis Coquelin, and so tie Schneiderlin down to a five-year-deal.
Schneiderlin was thought to be unhappy in the south of England, as Southampton sold many of their top players in Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Rickie Lambert so far in this window.
The Frenchman swaps places with compatriot Flamini and follows Calum Chambers to the Emirates Stadium from Southampton, noting Wenger’s extended stay at Arsenal and the fact they are likely to play UEFA Champions’ League football this season as the biggest draw to the North London club.
“I’m very excited to start this new chapter in my career. Arsenal is a huge club back in France thanks to Arsene Wenger, so I’m looking forward to working under him this season.
“I hit the stage at Southampton where I felt I needed to make another leap in my career and Champions’ League football was exactly what I was looking for. Arsenal offered me the most premium conditions, so I’m eager to repay them for their interest.”
Schneiderlin’s relationship with Wenger, incidentally, dates back to 2007 when the midfielder represented the Arsenal manager’s hometown club, RC Strasbourg Alsace.
Wenger looked into the possibility of signing the then 17-year-old Schneiderlin, opting to recommend him to Southampton instead, as the Saints snapped him up for £1.3 million in the summer of 2008.
In a spell that spanned six years in the South of England, Schneiderlin played 206 league games for Southampton, scoring ten goals throughout the top three tiers of English football.