Arteta among flurry of late Arsenal deals
Reuters - Wednesday 31 August 2011, 23:10
LONDON - Arsenal, desperate to revive
their season after being destroyed 8-2 by Manchester United at
the weekend, completed a flurry of transfer-deadline swoops for
Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, Yossi Benayoun and Andre Santos
on Wednesday.
Leaving Arsenal, however, was Denmark striker Nicklas
Bendtner who joined Premier League rivals Sunderland on a
season-long loan.
Spanish midfielder Arteta, 29, moved to the London club from
Everton for a fee of 10 million pounds.
"I am very disappointed to lose him but the prospect of
Champions League football was something I wasn't able to offer
him," Everton manager David Moyes told his club's website.
The deal ended a six-and-a-half-year spell at Goodison for the
skilful Arteta.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also acquired Germany defender
Mertesacker from Werder Bremen and Brazil left back Santos from
Fenerbahce on permanent deals while Israel midfielder Benayoun
joined from Chelsea on a season-long loan.
The 26-year-old Mertesacker has been capped 75 times by
Germany.
PARK DEAL
Wenger, under pressure to strengthen his squad after picking
up just one point from their opening three league matches, also
signed South Korea striker and captain Park Chu-young from AS
Monaco on Tuesday.
Santos, 28, made 52 league appearances for Fenerbahce and
earned the first of his 22 Brazil caps at the 2009
Confederations Cup in South Africa.
Benayoun, 31, joined Chelsea from Liverpool a year ago but
his short spell at Stamford Bridge was blighted by injury.
Bendtner, 23, has struggled to win a regular place in
Arsenal's first team in recent months.
Wenger does not usually take part in frantic deadline day
dealing but after the embarrassing defeat by United on Sunday
and the sales of midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri the
Frenchman has had to add proven quality to his squad.