Olympique Marseille attacking-midfielder Samir Nasri has completed his move to the English Premier League, finally signing with Arsenal for a fee thought to be around €14 million…
After a month of fine tuning the 21-year-old Nasri’s contract, finally the young Frenchman can complete his move to Arsenal from Olympique Marseille.
The switch had appeared inevitable since the beginning of June, when Nasri even suggested that his London transfer could be completed before the start of Euro2008.
Having barely been given an opportunity to shine in that competition as France struggled, the creative midfielder player then had a brief break before once again starting negotiations with Arsenal. Despite the lag, there was never any suggestion that the move would be cancelled.
New manager Arsène Wenger was quick to outline Nasri’s strengths telling Arsenal’s official website that, “He is young, quick and technically an outstanding player.”
Nasri should fit into the Gunners’ system seamlessly as his passing and vision are superb while he is also a gifted dribbler.
“He has shown great potential with his performances for Marseille and the French national team over the past two seasons and he will add great quality to our squad,” Wenger eulogised.
The move seems a perfect match as Wenger has an outstanding track record of maximising technically gifted players’ talents. Doubtless Nasri recognised this when agreeing the move.
“I'm very happy to become an Arsenal player, it means such a lot to me,” the 12 times capped Frenchman told the Gunners’ website, “This is a very important step in my life as a football player because Arsenal is a massive club. I really hope everything will go well for me here. I will my best for Arsenal and its fans and I am honoured to be part of such a great football club.”
Nasri will join his new team-mates for their pre-season tour of Austria, which begins in ten days time.
No fee has been disclosed for the move but it is believed to be in the region of £11.5 million, or €14 million.
