Arsene Wenger is extremely impressed with Santi Cazorla

Wenger believes that Cazorla could be one of the buys of the season: by SV

The Premier League has finally begun and, despite the imperfect start, I’m buzzing for the new season. There have been many different opinions on the Sunderland game, with some saying that it’s the same old Arsenal, another season without silverware, and some saying that we played pretty well, bring on the title. Contrasting views to say at the least.

I won’t get into the whole debate in this particular article as I want to focus on something which I hope we can all agree was a great plus point: the performance of Santi Cazorla.

The Spaniard played excellently and slotted in perfectly into our team. His link up play with Arteta was extremely fluid, which is unsurprising really considering their relationship of the field. I was impressed with Cazorla in many other ways too. His composure for example, no matter how tight the situation, the man always managed to find an out-ball. And the passes themselves were very good as well, as he displayed a wide passing range, from the cute reverse pass to Giroud to the massive switches to Gervinho, Cazorla had it all.

Wenger was clearly equally impressed with his performance, as he had this to say: “He played very well and looks like he could be one of the buys of the season. He has everything you want in the game. He can play short, he can play long, on the right or left, he can play the final ball and works hard as well. He is a fighter so it is very positive for us.

“He settled quickly and that shows people who say you need to play a long time together. Great players do not need a long time to settle.”

Big words from Arsene. Only time will tell if he is right that Cazorla will indeed be one of the signings of the season. There is a decent chance he might be though, if you consider that Santi pulled off that performance when he was only half fit…

If you liked this article, you can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SVGunner.

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How will Premier League new boys such as Santi Carzola, Eden Hazard and Shinji Kagawa fare?

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Name: Shinji Kagawa
Club: Manchester United
From: Borussia Dortmund
Transfer fee: £12m
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 23
Previous: Began at Cerezo Osaka in his homeland of Japan, where he scored 55 in 111 league starts. Moved to Borussia Dortmund for next to nothing in 2010, where he became a popular figure – not least for scoring one and setting up another against hated Bayern Munich in last season’s German Cup Final
Likelihood to succeed in Premier League: Has already scored a corker in pre-season for Man United. Fits ideally into United’s desire for quick, counter-attacking players with good touch.
Likelihood to flip out about life in England: Hard to predict, but good start in pre-season will help him settle.
Could be the new: Paul Scholes. Lacks the ginger tackling liability's natural gifts, but should bring creativity and a goal threat to United's ageing midfield.
Rainy Tuesday night in Wigan non-fancying-ness: Moderate. May lack physical presence for the more savage Premier League encounters.

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Name: Fabio Borini
Club: Liverpool
From: Roma
Transfer fee: £12million
Position: Striker
Age: 21
Previous: Was a Chelsea trainee, and played a handful of games on loan at Swansea in the Championship, before moving to Rome. It was in the Italian capital that he made his name, impressing with his calmness in front of goal. Scored nine in 20 league starts.
Likelihood to succeed in Premier League: A level-headed lad and a real team player by all accounts, he is cut from the same cloth as his determined new manager. Could provide the dead-eye in front of goal that Liverpool badly missed last term.
Likelihood to flip out about life in England: Reportedly quite a shy person, he may find the attention and pressure that comes with a large-ish price tag to be a burden.
Could be the new: Michael Owen, albeit without the lethal pace. A born finisher.
Rainy Tuesday night in Wigan non-fancying-ness: The sort of payer to roll up his sleeves and get on with the job.

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Name: Lukas Podolski
New club: Arsenal
From: 1. FC Köln
Transfer fee: £12 million
Position: Left-sided Forward
Age: 27
Previous: Part of fluid, talented German team that handed England their arsches at 2010 World Cup. Scored 18 in 20 league games last season but couldn’t keep Köln up. Was born in Poland.
Likelihood to succeed in Premier League: High. Is direct but skilful, full of running and tough.
Likelihood to flip out about life in England: Very low. Has shown ability to adapt to new cultures and styles without much fuss.
Could be the new: Robin Van Persie. He’ll have to be.
Rainy Tuesday night in Wigan non-fancying-ness: Not likely. They make the Poles out of tough stuff.

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Name: Oscar
New Club: Chelsea
From: Internacional
Transfer fee: £22m
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 20
Previous: Joined Sao Paolo at 13, but left after a lengthy legal bust-up about unpaid wages. Eventually moved to Internacional after tribunal compensation awarded to his previous club. Had excellent season last year, scoring 13 and setting up 13 in 44 games. Six caps for Brazil.
Likelihood to succeed in Premier League: Difficult to say. Is dynamic, plays between the lines and can penetrate back line at pace. But lack of experience outside Brazil makes him something of a gamble.
Likelihood to flip out about life in England: Not physically strong, cannot tackle, and would not be first Brazilian to find life, and football, in England unappealing.
Could be the new: Not many super-technical, nimble role models in Premier League. The new Mesut Özil, maybe?
Rainy Tuesday night in Wigan non-fancying-ness: Expect to see gloves out before end of September.

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Name: Jan Vertonghen
Club:Tottenham Hotspur
From: Ajax
Transfer fee: £12mi
Position: Centre half
Age: 25
Previous: A Belgian who made his name at Ajax, Vertonghen was the Dutch footballer of the year in 2012. Under the stewardship of Martin Jol, he stepped up to fill Thomas Vermaelen’s shoes when the Dutchman left to join Arsenal.
Likelihood to succeed in Premier League: A physical but composed ball-playing centre-half, Vertonghen can also play in defensive midfield.
Likelihood to flip out about life in England: Has a good temperament and should fit in to London life without too much of a culture shock to contend with.
Could be the new: Ledley King, if he has better luck with injuries.
Rainy Tuesday night in Wigan non-fancying-ness: Will relish a good physical encounter.

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Name: Olivier Giroud
Club: Arsenal
From: Montpellier
Transfer fee: £13m
Position: Centre forward
Age: 25
Previous: Played for three undistinguished French clubs before moving to Montpellier, where he scored 33 in 69 league starts.
Likelihood to succeed in Premier League: Big, quick, good touch; he looks to have all the attributes needed to make himself a nuisance. Not a typical Wenger player by any means.
Likelihood to flip out about life in England: A classic centre forward, it remains to be seen if Arsenal can adapt their system to make best use of his undeniably imposing attributes.
Could be the new: No Arsenal player of this type for a few years. A classier Grant Holt? A bulkier Peter Crouch? Sir Les Ferdinand?
Rainy Tuesday night in Wigan non-fancying-ness: Bring it on.

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Name: Michu
Club: Swansea City
From: Rayo Vallecano
Transfer fee: £2m
Position: Midfielder
Age: 26
Previous: Scored 15 for struggling Rayo Vallecano last year; had moved there from Celta Vigo. Could be a shrewd bit of business at bargain price.
Likelihood to succeed in Premier League: High. Has the physical presence and drive to compete in centre of a Premier League park, as well as proven goalscoring threat from midfield.
Likelihood to flip out about life in England: Seems unlikely, although who knows how he will settle into living in Wales?
Could be the new: Gylfi Sigurdsson, if he can fill the gap in the Swansea side for a forward-thinking midfielder/second striker.
Rainy Tuesday night in Wigan non-fancying-ness: Small. Looks like a tough customer.

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Name: Modibo Maiga
Club: West Ham United
From: Sochaux
Transfer fee: £4.7million
Position: Forward
Age: 24
Previous: The Malian international had a spell in the Moroccan league before a move to Le Mans and onto Sochaux.
Likelihood to succeed in Premier League: Powerful but with plenty of pace as well, Maiga is equally comfortable playing through the middle or down the flanks.
Likelihood to flip out about life in England: High. Has early hallmarks of bonkers signing, flatly refusing to play for old club until they let him move to Newcastle. Then failed medical at Newcastle.
Could be the new: Demba Ba – plays as a winger or as a centre forward. Might look to skedaddle on a free transfer.
Rainy Tuesday night in Wigan non-fancying-ness: Considerable. However, the player came back from malaria, so he must have plenty of reserves of determination.

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Arsenal signing Santi Cazorla wants to end title drought for Arsene Wenger

Cazorla is a potentially pivotal signing having played a key role in Malaga’s first fourth-placed finish in La Liga last season, scoring nine goals in 38 league appearances.

The Spain international, who can play on either wing or through the middle, was a member of the squad that won the European Championships in June, as well as in 2008.

The 27 year-old spent the majority of his career at Villarreal, where he was named Spanish player of the year in 2007. After making 181 appearances for the Yellow Submarine, he moved to Malaga last season.

"I'm so happy to be joining Arsenal. This is a club with great players, a fantastic stadium and huge support," said Cazorla, who has 45 international caps.

"The club has one of the best managers in football and their style of play is recognised and admired all over the world.

"I'm so excited to be joining one of the greatest teams in Europe and to be playing in the Premier League.”

The transfer has been lauded by former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, who helped persuade his international team-mate to move to North London.

Fabregas described Cazorla as a “special player and a top guy” and the winger also spoke to other players with Premier League experience before deciding to join the Gunners.

“I have spoken to Robert Pires because he played with me at Villarreal,” said Cazorla. “Obviously he knew about the rumours of me coming here and always encouraged me to sign.

“He told me it was a very good club and I was going to enjoy London, the city and the move.

“The same with Cesc Fabregas. He said this was a big club and that I was going to be very happy here, he said I would adapt easily. And I can feel that.”

“It is clear that there are players like Silva, Mata, Torres and Reina who have been here a long time, so I also talked to them. They have told me that it is great to play in the Premier League, they told me how the games are in England.

“They say it is different to Spain and that is true. You see Spanish players doing well here and that inspires you to come over as well. They have set an example and I hope I will adapt to the league as well as they have.”

Wenger had been under mounting pressure to spend heavily to improve a squad that finished third in the Premier League last season, 19 points adrift of Manchester City and Manchester United.

Arsenal have not won a trophy since lifting the FA Cup back in 2005 and have seen their best players picked off by bigger spending rivals in recent years, most recently when Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri were poached by City last summer.

Having finished so far off the pace last season, Arsenal have moved to remedy the situation and more new faces could arrive before the close of the window.

Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin remains a target, after the 23-year-old was told he could leave Real Madrid, as does France youth international M'Baye Niang of Caen.

“Santi Cazorla is a great signing for us,” said Wenger. “He's a player who will add significant quality to our squad.

"Santi has good experience at both club and international level," Wenger said. "He's a versatile, attacking midfield player who can play comfortably on either side of the pitch or centrally. He has good pace, is technically gifted and will be a huge asset to us."

Cazorla’s arrival is likely to pave the way for Andrei Arshavin to join Galatasaray, while Wenger is also keen to offload striker Nicklas Bendtner.

Santiago Cazorla Gonzalez
Age: 27
Previous clubs: Real Oviedo, Villarreal, Recreativo, Villarreal, Malaga.
International Appearances: 45
International Goals: 6

Arsenal Ins
Lukasz Podolski – Cologne – £11m
Olivier Giroud – Montpellier - £13m
Santi Cazorla – Villarreal - £16.5m

Arsenal Out
Gavin Hoyte – Dagenham and Redbridge - Free
Manuel Almunia – Watford - Free

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Arsenal complete signing of attacking midfielder Santi Cazorla from Malaga

The 27 year-old has amassed 45 caps for Spain and was a member of the squads that won the European Championships in 2008 and this year.

"Santi Cazorla is a great signing for us. He's a player who will add significant quality to our squad," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Cazorla is reported to have cost Arsenal £16.5 million after passing a medical and agreeing a long-term contract.

Full name Santiago Cazorla Gonzalez, he was an influential figure in Malaga's fourth-place finish in La Liga last season when the club qualified for the Champions League for the first time.

"Santi has good experience at both club and international level," Wenger said. "He's a versatile, attacking midfield player who can play comfortably on either side of the pitch or centrally.

"He has good pace, is technically gifted and will be a huge asset to us."

Cazorla, the 2007 Spanish Player of the Year, joined Malaga in 2011 following two stints with Villarreal.

He made 181 appearances for the Yellow Submarine, helping them finish runners-up to Real Madrid in La Liga in 2008.

"I'm so happy to be joining Arsenal. This is a club with great players, a fantastic stadium and huge support," Cazorla said.

"The club has one of the best managers in football and their style of play is recognised and admired all over the world.

"I'm so excited to be joining one of the greatest teams in Europe and to be playing in the Premier League.

"I will do my best to help Arsenal challenge for trophies and make all the supporters happy."

Arsenal confirmed that Cazorla has already linked up with his new-team-mates after being given permission by Malaga to join their pre-season training camp in Germany.

His arrival continues an impressive summer in the transfer window from the Gunners, who had already signed strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud.

Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin remains a target for Wenger, after the 23-year-old was told he could leave Real Madrid on loan, as does France youth international M'Baye Niang of Caen.

Reports over the weekend stated that Arsenal's transfer activity may have persuaded Robin van Persie to stay at Emirates Stadium, but his future remains shrouded in doubt.

To date Van Persie has refused to extend his contract, which expires next summer, with Manchester United and Juventus leading the chase after Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini admitted it is unlikely he will sign the Holland marksman.

Potentially making room for the influx of new arrivals in north London is Andrey Arshavin, who has been linked with a move to Turkish club Galatasaray.

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Arsenal near completion of latest signing Santi Cazorla

Arsenal will take on Cologne next Sunday in a friendly arranged as part of the deal which brought Lukas Podolski to the Emirates Stadium.

The club have not yet been able to formally announce the signing of Cazorla owing to complications caused by the financial plight of his current club Malaga, but the Spanish side's problems are not expected to jeopardise the completion of the deal.

The recruitment of Cazorla would be the third major piece of transfer business completed by Arsenal in the close season, with Podolski and Montpellier forward Olivier Giroud also coming in.

They have also been heavily linked with Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin, with Real boss Jose Mourinho saying the player can leave the Bernabeu.

Cazorla was part of Spain's victorious Euro 2012 squad, but only featured for 16 minutes during the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

He was Malaga's flagship signing of last summer but the club are experiencing severe financial difficulties and look set to offload a number of big names before the new Primera Division campaign begins.

Meanwhile, Arsenal striker Benik Afobe has joined Bolton on a season-long loan deal.

The 19-year-old England youth international is set for a second spell playing in the npower Championship, having ended the last campaign on loan at Reading and helping them win promotion to the Barclays Premier League.

A short statement said: "Everyone at the club wishes Benik well for his time with Bolton."

Afobe follows Jack Wilshere and Ryo Miyaichi in going on loan from the north London club to Bolton.

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Santi Cazorla confirmed at last!

Posted on August 03, 2012 by admin

This is definitely lining up to be one of the best Arsenal transfer windows ever with Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and now Santi Cazorla already confirmed as Arsenal players and still with one month to go of the transfer window!

Although (as usual!) there is no official announcement on Arsenal.com it has been confirmed by the respected Guardian newspaper as well as the player himself. The latest article in the Gueadian says: Santi Cazorla has undergone his medical at Arsenal and the club are poised to announce his £16m signing from Málaga, which they hope will be followed by the loan of Real Madrid’s Nuri Sahin. Cazorla stands to travel with the Arsenal squad on their training excursion to Germany next week and make his debut in the friendly against FC Köln.

They also say that the Spaniard has signed a four year contract which will probably bring him to the end of his career.

At least Cazorla would appear ready to play right now, which may not be the case with the other two signings yet, and the newest Arsenal player has made it clear as day on his official Twitter account. He said: I’m new @Arsenal player. Ya puedo decir que soy jugador del @Arsenal .

Three down two to go! Bring on Sahin and M’Vila!

Tags: Arsenal Player, Cazorla, confirmed, Sahin
Category Arsenal News, Arsenal Transfer News CALLING ALL GOTHS !!!! UNIQUE HAND-MADE GOTH JEWELLERY AT GothicChameleon.com
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What presents will Santi bring to Arsenal?

Cazorla Analyis: by SV

It’s been done, I know, but not yet by me and I’d just like to have my say. Today’s article will focus on Arsenal’s new signing Santi Cazorla. At least, he’s a new signing unless there’s some drastic U-turn between me writing this and you reading it. Anyway, the Spaniard SEEMS to be joining us, so the article is still valid.

The exciting Spaniard has been called by podcaster Sid Lowe as ‘the best player [in Spain] not playing for Madrid or Barcelona’. Now that’s saying something. Just to jog your memories, there’s plenty of talent in Spain outside the two big clubs. Think Llorente. Think Jesus Navas. Think Javi Martinez. And apparently Cazorla’s better than any of them. Not bad.

Cazorla could fit into several of the positions in our system, but those who think that he could replace RVP are kidding themselves. He’s not a striker, but rather a creative midfielder. That means that he could play in either of the wide positions in the front three of our 4-3-3, and could also play in the hole which Cesc used to occupy. If I were to hazard a guess (and this is assuming our squad stays the same), I would say that Wenger intends to initially deploy him here, as an attacking midfielder. This is because we are currently short on central players and Cazorla doesn’t quite have the pace to play as a traditional winger.

And, call me stupid, but if I were to compare Santi with any of our current crop, I’d probably say that he’s most like the Ox. Obviously, there are some differences, but I think that there are plenty of similarities too. For one, they both like to take shots from distance. Also, they both have an explosive style which is incredibly useful in the final third. So, since Wenger has said that he wants the Ox to eventually play centrally, it isn’t that far-fetched to imagine Cazorla there.

However, if RVP were to leave, I expect that Cazorla would probably be deployed elsewhere. I say this because I don’t think that Giroud is ready to fill Van Persie’s shoes quite yet, so I would have Podolski playing up top in his preferred position. This would mean that Cazorla could move out to the left of that front three. And, to avoid seemingly contradicting myself, though I said that Cazorla isn’t cut out to be a traditional winger, it doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t play out wide. Think about it, Nasri (curse his name) used to play out wide when he played for us, and, though he was quick, he didn’t have blistering pace. I think that, if Cazorla were to play out wide, he would do more cutting in on his favoured right foot as opposed to trying to go outside the defender to the by-line.

But I’m going to stop there. I don’t want to get ahead of myself because, as I write this, there are only rumours that Santi has signed. I hope to wake up tomorrow to a confirmation from Arsenal.com.

So till tomorrow.
If you liked this article, you can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SVGunner.

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Santi Cazorla is coming to town

Posted on August 01, 2012 by admin

I cannot fin confirmation of this in the Spanish media, but Skysports is reporting that Santi Cazorla will soon be coming to London to take his medical with Arsenal.

The Spanish press do, however, see it as just a matter of time before Cazorla becomes a Gunner. We all know that Arsene Wenger will not release information until a transfer is guaranteed, so we will have to be patient, but everything seems to be going well. The same cannot be said for Malaga Fc, who are having a nightmare at the minute.

The latest player to demand a move away from the Spanish club is 28-year old Frenchman Jeremy Toulalan. The defensive midfielder has told Malaga that the situation is forcing him to seek his fortune elsewhere. Hmm, defensive midfielder, who needs one of those? Apparently there are already offers from clubs around Europe for Toulalan and rumour has it that he could be joined by Salomon Rondon.

You cannot help but feel sorry for the fans of Malaga who have been sold up the river. They are in serious danger of losing out on their first crack at the Champion’s league and losing all their best players at the same time.

I will try to feel very sorry for them, but only after Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Santi. To our Premier league rivals, I say “you better watch out….”

Tags: Cazorla, Malaga, Rondon, Toulalan

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