Thierry Henry has expressed his delight at Arsenal’s move for Eberechi Eze and encouraged the new Gunners signing to ‘make it count’.
Eze was introduced to Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday following his £68m move from Crystal Palace.
Tottenham were leading the race to sign Eze but their north London rivals hijacked the move at the end of last week and quickly agreed a deal with Palace.
Eze became Mikel Arteta’s seventh summer signing and will hope to take Arsenal closer to ending their long way for a Premier League title.
Arsenal, runners-up for the past three seasons, have made a superb start to the new campaign, beating Manchester United and thrashing Leeds United to jump to the top of the table.
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Gunners legend Henry is delighted by the signing of Eze and was keen to get a message to Arsenal’s new signing following his move.
‘First and foremost, welcome to the Arsenal,’ Henry told Arsenal’s official website. ‘You don’t understand how happy we all are.
‘We all know how much you wanted to play for The Arsenal, and wear the cannon at the Emirates. There you go – it’s not a dream anymore, it’s not a utopia. That has become reality. Make sure that you make it count.
‘Remember, when I first arrived at the Arsenal, they told me that it is a club that has class, it’s a family club, and you got to fight no matter what.
‘All the very best, I’m so happy. Come on The Arsenal!’
Reacting to Henry’s message, Eze said: ‘He’s got a statue outside, bro. You know what? When you use words, you can ruin something.
‘I’m telling you, this for me, it’s the feeling. I can try and explain it, but it’s the feeling, man. This is powerful.’
Eze could make his Arsenal debut next weekend when the Gunners face Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield.
Following the £68m deal, Arsenal boss Arteta said: ‘He is a powerful and exciting player who will give us a new dimension in our attacking game.
‘What stands out just as much as his talent and intelligence as a player, is the way he has worked hard throughout his career to get where he is today.
‘His journey, his mentality and his ambition are exactly what we want in our team, and we love how much it means to him and his family to be joining our club.’
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta added: ‘We are so pleased to have completed this deal to bring Eberechi to Arsenal.
‘Eberechi is a creative and explosive talent with huge technical quality – also a big-game player, with his experience at international level with England also underlining his quality and character.
‘There has been excellent teamwork across the club to make this transfer happen and we are very confident Eberechi will be an important addition to our squad as we continue to build for success.’
After Eze’s unveiling at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal thumped Premier League new-boys Leeds United 5-0, with fellow summer signing Viktor Gyokeres scoring twice.
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