Let the Unai Emery era begin.
Emery has started to build his own squad at Arsenal after taking over from Arsene Wenger last month.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Gunners confirmed that they’d signed Swiss right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer after the 34-year-old’s contract with Juventus came to an end.
The seven-time Serie A winner will wear the No. 12 shirt at the Emirates and compete with Hector Bellerin for a starting place on the right side of Emery’s defence.
“Stephan brings huge experience and leadership to our squad. He’s a player with great quality with a very positive and determined attitude. Stephan will improve us on and off the pitch,” Emery said of the move.
Welcome to Arsenal, @LichtsteinerSte 👋#WillkommenStephan https://t.co/31jZP73Jgb
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 5, 2018
Lichtsteiner is the fourth-most capped player in Switzerland history, with 99 appearances for his national team, and he’s spoken about his desire to bring his experience to Emery’s side for the coming season.
“There is a project. There is a project to come back into the Champions League,” Lichtsteiner said of his decision to move to Arsenal.
“I think it’s hard to see a club like Arsenal not playing in the Champions League. If you see the players, if you see the club, the stadium… it’s the project, the big opportunity to get back to the highest level.”
On another note, “Lichtsteiner” is going to sound great coming out of Paul Merson’s mouth. So we’ve got that to look forward to.
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