Defender Stephan Lichtsteiner has joined Premier League side Arsenal from Juventus on a free.
The Swiss international defender signed as a free agent from the Serie A club, where he won the title in each of his seven seasons.
A hugely-experienced right-sided defender, Stephan made over 250 appearances for Juventus and is the fourth-most capped player in Switzerland history with 99 appearances for his country. He has also been the Swiss captain since 2016.
Stephan, who will wear the No 12 shirt and have his surname on his shirt, has spoken to Arsenal Media about his move – and you can watch the interview below.
The Swiss captain said it is an honour to sign for Arsenal. “It’s a great moment. It’s great for me after Juventus to come to Arsenal and have this big challenge to make big things [happen] with this big club.
“There is a project. There is a project to come back into the Champions League. I think it’s hard to see a club like Arsenal not playing in the Champions League. If you see the players, if you see the club, the stadium… it’s the project, the big opportunity to get back to the highest level.
“I’ve never played against Arsenal, but of course there was the big era of Wenger. He won a lot of titles with Arsenal and [made them] a big team. Now it’s a new moment. Wenger went and now everything is a bit new, so it’s a big challenge.
He also had special priase for manager Unai Emery. “He’s a very good coach who’s won a lot of titles, especially the Europa League that we play in this year.
“He’s a coach who knows what he wants and a coach who also progresses the players, and also old players like me. You never stop learning and this is very important. I’m really positive that we will do great things.
