AS.com

Santi Cazorla is now officially an Arsenal player. The London club and Málaga announced this morning the arrival of the Spanish midfielder at the Emirates. It's a deal which has been public knowledge for some days now and was only awaiting confirmation from the clubs.

Cazorla bids 'adios' to Málaga just a season after arriving at the Rosaleda, as a consequence of the rocky position the Andalucian club finds itself in, after the sheik Abdullah Al-Thani's announcement that he wouldn't invest more money in Málaga and was in talks to sell the club.

Cazorla played a key part in Málaga's leap in quality last season, which saw them finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. Now he'll join a group of Spanish footballers working in the Premier League, among them Mikel Arteta, who'll be his teammate at one of the English clubs with most tradition.

The English team's official website published Cazorla's first words as an Arsenal player: "I'm very happy to join Arsenal. This is a club with great players, a fantastic Stadium and amazing supporters. It has one of the best coaches and its style is recognised and admired around the world. I'm very happy to join one of the great European and Premier League teams."

Arsene Wenger, his new boss, had some words for the new man: "Santi Cazorla is a great signing for us. He's a player with great experience at club and international level, and I'm sure he'll significantly improve the quality of our team" said the Frenchman. "He's a versatile player; he can play in midfield or on out on both sides of the pitch. Technically he's very gifted and he'll be a big advantage for Arsenal Football Club. We're really pleased that he is to join us."

As the BBC published yesterday, Cazorla is currently in Germany with the rest of his new teammates, after Málaga gave him permission to leave for Cologne on the Gunners' trip despite the deal not having been announced officially.