ARSENAL have made Stephan Lichtsteiner their first summer signing, and this is what he had to say after joining the Gunners.
After replacing Arsene Wenger at the Emirates helm, new manager Unai Emery has already made his first capture of the summer.
And Emery feels Lichtsteiner could offer something invaluable to the club moving forwards.
“Stephan brings huge experience and leadership to our squad,” he said.
“He’s a player with great quality with a very positive and determined attitude. Stephan will improve us on and off the pitch.”
Lichtsteiner – who won the Serie A title in each of his seven years with Juventus – spoke in length about why he chose to join Arsenal in his first interview with the club.
Stephan Lichtsteiner (born 16 January 1984) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays for English club Arsenal and the Switzerland national team. An attacking right-back or wing-back, he is known for his energetic runs down the right wing, as well as his stamina and athleticism, which earned him the nicknames “Forrest Gump” and “The Swiss
He began his professional career with Grasshopper Zürich, winning a league title in 2002–03, and moved to Lille in 2005, helping the French club to Champions League qualification in his first season with the team. In 2008, he joined Italian club Lazio, and won both the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana the following year. In 2011, he signed for Juventus for a fee of €10 million. He played 257 total games for them over seven years and won 14 trophies, including Serie A in each of his seasons.
A full international since 2006, Lichtsteiner has earned over 90 caps for Switzerland, making him their fifth most capped player of all time. He has represented his country at two UEFA European Championships and three FIFA World Cups.
We wish him a very great time at Arsenal…