Shkodran Mustafi Reveals Why He Chose Arsenal After Confirming £35m Deal

Shkodran Mustafi confirmed during an interview with Sky Sports Germany that he has signed a five-year contract with Arsenal.

During the interview, the Germany international revealed that Arsene Wenger was a major contributing factor in convincing him to leave Valencia, while his compatriot Mesut Ozil told him good things about the Premier League club, according to reports from 90min.

“For me, it’s important to have a coach who has been there for many, many years & takes care of everything,” Mustafi said.

“I haven’t spoken to Per [Mertesacker] yet, but I spoke with Mesut [Özil] & he told me everything [about the club].”

“[He said] how the club is & how it’s run. Everything he said was very positive & I was quickly convinced.”

The 24-year-old said the following regarding finally getting the deal over the line after weeks of intense speculation:

“If a big move like this happens, there is always a lot that has to be planned, discussed & talked about.”

Mustafi says Wenger played a big part in him signing & fellow German Mesut Özil told him good things about the club. pic.twitter.com/1fxmSgxfwd

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 28, 2016

“But when you finally sign, you are relieved & ultimately also satisfied with it. Everyone is of course trying to get the best for each other, so it’s natural it takes time.”

Mustafi also revealed that he is excited at the prospect of joining a club of Arsenal’s standing in the global game:

“[They’re] a big club, a giant club with giant history, a club that always plays up there, always in Europe too.”

“I’ve taken a step forward, that was important to me. In my career, I’ve always looked out for taking steps forward.”

“Playing in the Champions League & with teammates who I can learn from, who have big experience, so that’s why I moved there.”

“It’s not the typical English club who play typical English football but instead, the football that I like.”

Mustafi is set to be officially announced as an Arsenal player in the next 24 hours. Arsenal are also expected to announce the signing of Lucas Perez from Deportivo de la Coruna.

Wenger on Mustafi and Lucas Perez: “They’ve both had medicals but we need to complete the paperwork”#WFCvAFC pic.twitter.com/lEvVptAJq9

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) August 27, 2016