South Korea captain joins Gunners from Monaco for just �2.5m

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of the South Korea international captain, Chu-Young Park, from French club Monaco.

The 26-year-old striker has joined in a deal believed to be worth an initial �2.5m, and will wear the No9 shirt for the Gunners which has been vacant since Eduardo da Silva left the club a year ago.

“I am very honoured and I feel very happy to be at Arsenal,” said Park, who will known as J-Y Park on his shirt as he is known as ‘Ju’ in South Korea.

“It is a dream to be here and I am really proud to be an Arsenal player. Now I just want to show how good I am and prove myself.

“In my opinion this is a great club, now I have to show what I can do on the pitch. I will do my best, I will never give up, I will show heart, I will give everything and I hope [the fans] will support me.”

Park scored 25 times in 91 appearances in Ligue 1 for Wenger’s former club Monaco, and took over the captaincy of the South Korea side from Manchester United’s Ji-Sung Park earlier this year.

A former Asian Young Footballer of the Year, he made his debut for the South Korea senior side at just 19, and played in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. He has won 53 caps for South Korea, scoring 17 goals.

Arsene Wenger said: “We are delighted to have signed Chu. He will add true quality to our attacking forces and will be a valuable addition to the squad.”

The Gunners boss will now focus on adding more signings to his squad with Germany defender Per Mertesacker close to agreeing terms with the club over an �8m move from Werder Bremen.