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Wenger - Why I decided to sign Monreal

Nacho Monreal

Arsène Wenger has hailed Nacho Monreal’s versatility and believes he has the characteristics to quickly adapt to Arsenal’s style of play.

The Spain international beat the transfer deadline to complete his move from Malaga to Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.

With Kieran Gibbs out for up to six weeks with a thigh injury, Wenger says his new signing could even make his debut against Stoke City on Saturday.

 “Our scouts have followed his progress for a while and of course we had a blow with the Gibbs injury, which is a bit longer than expected,” the manager said.

“We expected [him to be out for] two to three weeks, but it will be four to six, so we were in a position where we had to make a quick decision. That explains our buy.

“We bought Monreal as a left back but he can play as well as a left-sided midfielder. We bought him as well because we believe he can integrate into our style of play and adapt very quickly to that.

“He has the characteristics to play our game because he is very mobile, has a good left foot and is very good in combination play. That is vital in our style of play.

“He is available for the Stoke game. I have not made a decision yet.”