Arsenal signs Mustafi from Valencia in reported £35M deal
To see a list of completed deals in the summer window thus far, visit theScore's Premier League transfer tracker.
Arsene Wenger's critics are noticeably reticent Tuesday and for good reason.
In a move that will both satiate the desires of an increasingly despondent supporter base and quell an injury crisis on the backline, Arsenal has signed centre-half Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia.
Finally it's time to announce I've signed for @Arsenal! Can't wait to play for this great club! ⚽🔴⚪ #GunnerShkodran pic.twitter.com/y5fexV6Edl
— Shkodran Mustafi (@MustafiOfficial) August 30, 2016
"He is at the right age. He has good experience. He is a very focused player who can play with the ball as well. We have taken a great player but have prepared well for the future," Wenger said of the German.
Amid a summer of criticism directed at Wenger and his supposed penny-pinching predilections, the French economist has splashed the cash on the Los Che defender with just days left until the transfer window slams shut Aug. 31.
Mustafi's addition is a solution to a massive void at the back that has left the Gunners first team a depleted unit. Both Per Mertesacker and Gabriel face long-term spells on the sidelines through injury, and Calum Chambers joined Middlesbrough on loan Tuesday, leaving Wenger with just summer signing Rob Holding, 20, and Laurent Koscielny in the centre of Arsenal's defence.
The 12-time capped Die Mannschaft defender becomes Arsenal's fifth signing of the summer, joining Swiss stud Granit Xhaka, Japanese speed merchant Takuma Asano, Spanish striker Lucas Perez and Holding at the Emirates.
The capture of Perez was announced earlier on Tuesday, the 27-year-old making the move from Deportivo to the Emirates.
With the international break on the horizon, Mustafi, who has been called up to Joachim Low's Germany squad, will have little time to become acclimated to his new digs.
That will mean little to Arsenal supporters overjoyed at the prospects of having another World Cup winner in the squad, as the big winners Tuesday are the Gunners and their title ambitions.
Arsenal will get an opportunity to welcome its newest signing when the club hosts Southampton on Sept. 10.