Arsenal news: Denis Suarez reveals reasons why he joined Gunners from Barcelona

Modified Jan 31, 2019 17:42 GMT

Cultural Leonesa v FC Barcelona - Spanish Copa del Rey

What's the story?

Hours after his loan transfer to the Emirates was confirmed, Barcelona loanee Denis Suarez has opened up about the reasons behind the move and the goals he wishes to achieve during his time at the club.

In case you didn't know...

The Blaugrana midfielder joined the Gunners in a loan move that will keep him at the North London outfit until the end of the season. Arsenal also have the option of making the move permanent in the summer.

Suarez has already signed a contract extension with Barcelona before his move to the Premier League side, with the deal keeping him at Camp Nou until 2021.

The move sees the 25-year-old once again linking up with Unai Emery, who was his boss when he was on loan at Sevilla in the 2014/15 season. Suarez enjoyed his best spell at the Spanish club, winning the Europa League under the current Arsenal boss during that campaign.

The heart of the matter

Suarez has now revealed that a reunion with Emery was one of the main reasons why he pushed hard to make the move. Speaking to the official Arsenal website, the midfielder said, "I have a very good relationship with him. I spent a year with him at Sevilla when we won the Europa League. I think he's a very demanding coach and one of the best coaches in the world right now - I've been saying that for a while.

"I'm really happy to have the chance to work with him again and I hope that the rest of the season is successful for me and the club.

"I think he's a great coach. That (his loan to Sevilla) was my first year playing football at the elite level - my first year in the top division.

"I improved a lot as a player thanks to him. He really helped me. I think he was a big part of the reason I was able to go back to Barcelona after leaving on loan."

Suarez added that a Champions League qualification and winning the Europa League are what he hopes to achieve during his time in the club.

"I've come here to play as much as possible and try to help the team qualify for the Champions League.

"I'd like to win the Europa League with Arsenal too - why not? It's a trophy I won under Unai Emery at Sevilla and I'd love to win it again here.

"I'm very pleased to be here and to be joining Arsenal. I've been pushing hard to come here. I'm finally here now and I'm really pleased."

What's next?

Arsenal are currently in the race for fourth place with Chelsea and Manchester United close behind. Their next challenge comes in the form of a crucial game against defending league champions Manchester City on Sunday.