Arsenal have signed Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina from Nice on a long-term contract for about £3m. Ospina, 25, had been with French Ligue 1 side Nice since 2008 and helped his country reach the quarter-finals at the recent World Cup in Brazil. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said: David is an excellent goalkeeper. He will add strength to our squad and we are very pleased that he will be joining us. He has good experience and a proven record of performing. Wenger had earlier suggested that Ospina, who is expected to make his debut at next months Emirates Cup tournament, could displace Wojciech Szczesny as the clubs first-choice goalkeeper. Meaner Ospina With David Ospina ever-present, Colombia conceded fewer goals in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup (13) than any other South American team Speaking after Saturdays 1-0 defeat at New York Red Bulls, Wenger said that Ospina had proved his worth at Nice by replacing France keeper Hugo Lloris, now at Tottenham. Wenger said: Ive known him for a long time because he played for Nice - he went there a few years ago and slowly became a very important player for them. Hugo Lloris played for Nice before he moved to Lyon. After he moved, they played Ospina. He had a big impact straight away and Lloris was not an easy player to replace. Nice coach Claude Puel, speaking to Sky Sports News after Nice were beaten 3-2 at Brentford in a friendly on Saturday, said: Its a good affair for Arsenal because hes a very good player. You will see next season the quality of this player. Arsenal welcomed the player to the club and added that the move is subject to the completion of regulatory processes
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 05:40:27 +0000
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