Arsenal have completed the signing of French centre-back William Saliba from St Etienne on a long-term contract, the Premier League club said on Thursday.
“We’re delighted William is joining us,” Arsenal manager Unai Emery said in a statement. “Many teams wanted him, but he decided he wanted to come to us and be part of our future.
“He will stay in France next season for more experience and then we look forward to him joining our group.”
“This is the biggest club in England for me, so it was an easy decision,” Saliba said. “I didn’t think twice about signing here, so I’m really happy.
“This is a big club, and when you come here, you need to be ready. So I’m going to try to have a great season with the club that developed me in order to be ready for Arsenal.”
Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos has joined Arsenal on a season-long loan deal from Real Madrid, the clubs said on Thursday.
Ceballos, who helped Spain’s Under-21 side win the European Championship title last month, has made 56 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions since arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium from Real Betis in 2017.
The 22-year-old is expected to fill the void left by Aaron Ramsey in Unai Emery’s Arsenal squad following the Welshman’s move to Juventus at the end of his contract.
“We’re excited to see Dani join us. He is a talented player with big technical ability, creativity and precision,” Emery said in a statement.
“I knew I had the confidence of the coach, which was very important for me from the start,” Ceballos said.
“I was aware of the responsibility that wearing this shirt entails and it was a tremendously proud moment when I decided to join Arsenal.”
Arsenal announced their new signing with a video posted on their twitter account welcoming both Saliba and Ceballos.
