Arsenal have completed the signing of Nacho Monreal from Malaga. The Spanish international left back joins on a long-term deal for what’s believed to be a fee of around £10m. Monreal has made 21 appearance for Malaga this season, scoring 1 goal (in their recent 3-2 win over Mallorca), picking up 4 yellows and 1 red card in the process. He has played in the Champions League so is cup-tied for this season’s tournament, meaning he will not be eligible for the games against Bayern Munich. The 26 year old is, of course, a former teammate of Santi Cazorla and Malaga have already signed a replacement – Vitorino Antunes from Portuguese side Paços de Ferreira. The move provides competition for Kieran Gibbs and calls into questions the future of Andre Santos. Arsene Wenger said, “We are delighted that Nacho Monreal has agreed to join us. We have been monitoring him for some time now and are really pleased that we’ve been able to agree this move today. Monreal is a strong left-sided defender with good experience at both club and international level. “He is a technically gifted player, a good crosser in the final third and strong in the air. Monreal will add quality to our squad and of course, to our defensive unit. We all look forward to him playing for us.” http://news.arseblog.com/2013/01/arsenal-sign-nacho-monreal-from-malaga/
This signing comes on the heels of Kieran Gibbs sustaining a thigh strain that is expected to keep him out for up to three weeks. Gibbs just can't stay on the pitch. Santos--I dunno, everyone is dogging the guy right now but he's an offensive back, like a deep winger, we knew this, why it's an issue that he's defensively lackluster now I'm guessing is just frustration over the current form of the team.
