Gunner be ours: Mikel Arteta completed his move to
Arsenal with minutes to spare
Arsenal completed a sensational
last-gasp swoop for Mikel Arteta, shortly after announcing a loan
deal for Yossi Benayoun, as the transfer window slammed
shut.
The Gunners looked to have missed out on Arteta
earlier on deadline day after Everton rejected a bid for their star
midfielder.
But Arteta reportedly forced the issue and
Arsenal looked to have reached an agreement with their Barclays
Premier League rivals before the 11pm deadline, revealing they had
signed the 29-year-old on a four-year contract.
The Gunners are said to have initially offered
Nicklas Bendtner - who joined Sunderland on a season-long loan - in
a part-exchange deal, something rejected out of hand by
Everton.
They also reportedly snubbed a £10million cash
offer until the player himself made his feelings clear.
Arteta's signing followed hot on the heels of
that of Benayoun after the Chelsea midfielder signed a season-long
loan deal at the Emirates Stadium.
That took Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's
deadline-day recruits to four after defenders Per Mertesacker and
Andre Santos Put the finishing touches to their moves.
The signings will help appease fans following one
of the club's worst starts to a season in recent memory, which
culminated in Sunday's 8-2 humiliation at Manchester
United.
Feeling Blue: Yossi Benayoun has made the temporary
switch across London to Emirates
Arteta and Benayoun are arguably
like-for-like replacements in terms of style to the departed Cesc
Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
Israel captain Benayoun tweeted tonight before
resuming international duty: 'I sign with Arsenal, very happy and
excited about it, but now my head is only in the game against
Greece on Friday, thanks for the support.'
Wenger earlier began to rebuild his shattered
defence after it was confirmed Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos
were joining the club.
Germany defender Mertesacker, who has 75 caps and
joins from Werder Bremen for a reported £8million, was relishing
the challenge.
The 26-year-old told the club's official website:
'Moving to London enables me to fulfil a dream and a further step
in my career. The Premier League has always represented a great
challenge for me.'
