A beaming Arsene Wenger said the signing of Mesut Ozil for a club record fee showed Arsenal's financial might in the transfer market.
Ozil was bought from Real Madrid for a massive £42.5 million ($66.3 million), with Arsenal obliterating their previous record.
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis had said before the start of the transfer window that now Arsenal were ready to compete with the best of the best in the transfer market.
That claim seemed a little hollow going into the final day of the transfer window, with Arsenal having made just two signings - that of Mathieu Flamini and Yaya Sanogo - both on free transfers.
However, once it became clear that the Ozil signing was indeed going to be a reality, the Arsenal fans finally got a taste of what it feels like to see a proven world-class player brought into the club, probably for the first time since Dennis Bergkamp signed in the mid-90s -- Wenger turned the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira into great players, but they weren't actually considered world-class when they signed for the Gunners.
Ironically, Wenger believes it was the Gareth Bale sale by Tottenham to Real Madrid for a world record fee which facilitated the Ozil move.
"Honestly I think it was linked with the Bale transfer," Wenger said. "I don't know exactly what happened inside the club in Madrid. Was it down to financial reasons? Was it down to the fact that when they bought Bale they had Isco and they had to let somebody go? I was surprised, yes.
"I fight for the teams to spend the money they had made and not the money they have artificially earned. Once they have made that money I am happy to spend it. As you know as well, what is very important for us is to find world-class players. There are not plenty around.
"We had to go through some years when I signed a long-term contract where we had some restricted financial potential. And the target was to stay in the Champions League in this period and we managed to do it. We are now in a strong position financially."
Ozil acknowledged Wenger's influence in enticing him to sign for Arsenal, while admitting the club was an easy sell considering their stature in the world game.
"The most important thing is the manager trusts me and that I can get trust from him," Ozil said. "This was the most crucial point for me.
"I would have come here for free, that wouldn't have been a problem. When I spoke to Arsene Wenger on the phone he was full of respect and as a player I need that.
"(He didn't) have to say a whole lot about the club. I know how successful Arsenal have been and what successful players they have had -- players like Henry, (Cesc) Fabregas.
"So I know that the step here is the right one for me because many young players came here and got better and became the best players in the world. This is why I wanted to come here.
"I look forward to playing with the whole team. We are one team and we have a goal with the team. We want to go our way together and therefore I look forward to playing with everybody."
