Mesut Ozil has revealed he joined Arsenal in a sensational €47 million transfer deadline day deal for the chance to work with "world-class" manager Arsene Wenger.
The 24-year-old decided to move on from Real Madrid after the Spanish giants completed the world-record €100m signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham, with competition for places at the Bernabeu increasingly intense.
And while the Gunners have gone without a trophy for over eight years, the Germany international is confident he can lead the charge for silverware to repay some of the club's record outlay for his signature."I chose Arsenal because they are one of the top clubs in England. [Wenger] is a world-class manager - he’s demonstrated that for years," he told the club's official website.
"A lot of players have developed under his guidance in the past and that’s why I decided to join Arsenal. I want to improve myself further and I’m looking forward to the style of play.
"The most important thing is that the manager has given me his trust. I want to show my potential and have fun on the pitch. I think that I can help the team through my performances.
"I spoke to the manager a lot on the phone and he presented his vision and what he thinks about me. That convinced me and that’s why I am now at Arsenal."
Despite the lack of titles in the recent past, Ozil believes the club still have serious ambition, and feels that his style will suit the Emirates and help to make the club a success again.
"Arsenal are well known for the strength of their technical game and their desire to play attacking football," he continued. "I think I will fit perfectly into that. That’s why I chose to sign for the club.
"In the last few years, Arsenal haven’t been so successful but we want to become more successful. We want to win trophies. I think the fans are looking forward to that too.
"We have a very strong and a very young team that can improve a lot under the manager. I think we will win trophies because we have the potential [to do so]. I’m so happy to be playing at Arsenal. I’m honoured by it."
Real Madrid stars including Alvaro Arbeloa and Sami Khedira have expressed their surprise at Ozil moving to the Premier League, with Sergio Ramos stating he would not have allowed the deal to go through.