Wenger explains wait in bringing Mustafi to Arsenal

They say good things come to those who wait, and that is certainly the case in regards to Arsenal and Shkodran Mustafi.

German international Mustafi has impressed since arriving in north London for £35million from Spanish side Valencia, forming a strong partnership with fellow centre-back Laurent Koscielny.

As for Arsenal fans, they would have been happy to see him finally put on the famous red shirt following a long process in getting Mustafi in.

And manager Arsene Wenger confirmed the deal took longer than expected due to Valencia’s delaying tactics.

“We started negotiating, we met with Ivan Gazidis in the States the agent of Mustafi and agreed the deal, but it took long to get over the line as Valencia were reluctant to sell,” he said.

“We also took longer because in pre-season he was injured and he couldn’t have played against Liverpool.

“When he came he had had just 45 minutes of competition. We needed him to push too and that is sometimes a slow process as it is not only us that can decide whether he signs.”