When Arsenal fans heard about the impending move for Santi Cazorla, there was a sense of excitement not witnessed by Gooner for a few years. And after three games of the English Premier League season, there has been no anti-climax either, with the Spanish international fitting into Arsenal's style perfectly.
Santi Cazorla was named Arsenal's player of the month, with 72.3 percent of the fans voting for the playmaker. Abou Diaby was a distant second, earning 9 percent of the votes while Mikel Arteta garnered 5.4 percent.
Cazorla admitted he is loving life at the Emirates. "They have paid an important amount of money for me and the role they've given me is the one I like," Cazorla told El Pais.
"I love the style of the team. Wenger's philosophy is to control the game and I like to be on the ball. Furthermore, the boss has put me in a position, second striker, with all the freedom I want to have.
"He told me to be at ease and that he'd play me where I could most help the team. It surprised me in pre-season when he put me as the second striker.
"I've come to play on the wings with the freedom to move inside, but Wenger has immediately put me in this position.
"With Arteta, Diaby, (Tomas) Rosicky and (Jack) Wilshere, who is recovering from injury, we're going to have a lot of the ball."
Arteta, who himself signed for the Gunners on deadline day last summer, greeted the signing of his fellow Spaniard with much enthusiasm, and Cazorla revealed how Arteta has helped him settle in with the pace of the game in the English Premier League. "Arteta has advised me a lot, he told me football is much faster and less tactical than Spain." Cazorla said. "It's more give and go.
"Mikel has helped me to learn to see the game and said that if we play rapidly with the ball we're going to create a lot of danger and we'll beat most teams.
"Wenger wants him now as a defensive pivot and he's doing it very well. He gives real balance and he can win the ball back and play it out because with the ball he's spectacular."
