Arsenal left-back Andre Santos didn’t join the Gunners to settle down for a “Top Four” finish as his objective for this season is to win trophies.

Speaking to Arsenal Player, the Brazilian explained that he plays the game to win cups and that his objective now that he’s a Gunner is indeed to win titles and win the hearts and minds of the supporters with the 28-year old adding that although he will take it one step at a time his primary objective is to make the supporters happy.

On what is his message to the fans, the former Fenerbahçe man said that he wants to be a champion, that he will wear the Arsenal shirt with pride and give everything to help the Club achieve their objectives.

Days after the humiliating defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Santos was signed by the Gunners in the last day of the summer transfer window in a busy day that saw the North Londoners also secure the services of Per Mertesacker, Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta.

Ahead of the new season, the Brazilian said:

Quote:

[My aims for the season?] Whenever I’m at a Club, winning cups is always my main goal. I want to win titles and win the hearts and minds of the supporters. I think I have to take it one step at a time. Obviously, there are many games ahead of us but I hope to win many titles for the Arsenal family, making the supporters happy is the most important thing. [A message for the fans?] Well, I arrived here with one aim, being a champion. I will wear Arsenal shirt and give my utmost to it, I will do everything for this Club and that’s the main reason why I’ve been signed. I’ve had a great season at Fenerbahçe and I hope to bring a lot of happiness to Arsenal and to win the hearts and minds of its wonderful supporters.

Jens Lehmann has backed Arsenal’s capture of Werder Bremen captain Per Mertesacker.

The former German international believes that the towering central defender can cope if he adjusts quickly to the tempo and intensity of the Premier League.

Lehmann said : “Per will have to get used to English football, particularly the speed of the game,”.

“It is faster than the Bundesliga and will be a change for him, but he will cope. I am absolutely sure about that.”

The pair were in the German side that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2006 and the goalkeeper has no hesitation in providing a glowing reference.

Lehmann added: “He will be a great support for Arsenal. It was a very good decision to sign him – good for Arsenal and for Per.

“The club will benefit from having him because he brings more quality to their defensive line-up. “

Despite signing four players on the last day of the summer transfer window, former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon believes the Gunners could finish outside the “Top Four”, this season.

Writing on the Independent website, the Englishman explained that Manchester United are still the team to beat in the Premier League with neighbours Manchester City well-equipped to put pressure on them especially after they added key players like Samir Nasri and Sergio Leonel “Kun” Agüero del Castillo to the squad.

With Chelsea and Liverpool also doing well in the transfer window according to Dixon, he added that the Gunners could struggle to keep their place in England’s “Top Four” adding that last week’s 8-2 defeat against Manchester United saw the Club doing business in an unlikely fashion, something they rarely did under manager Arsene Wenger.

The 47-year old did however say that the players signed by the Gunners are better than those they started the season with with Everton’s Mikel Arteta the most important name brought in by Arsene Wenger with the Spaniard set to take over from former captain Cesc Fabregas in midfield.

Ahead of the new season, Dixon said:

Quote:

For all the transfer frenzy of the last week, I’ve seen nothing to alter my belief that Manchester United are still the team to beat in the Premier League. Certainly the evidence on the pitch from the first three games suggests United deserve to be favourites, but what those games have shown – combined with the transfer window spending – is that they will face a real challenge from the neighbours. What Manchester City did at White Hart Lane last Sunday put down a proper marker. It’s the most balanced City side I have seen for a long, long time. Which leaves Arsenal facing the prospect of being outside the top four. I’ve spent the last week trying to get last weekend out of my system – when I saw the team-sheet sitting in the Match of the Day studio waiting to watch the game I said to Alan Hansen I feared the worst. I couldn’t believe what I saw all over the pitch – Arsène Wenger looked like a man in the wilderness sitting on the bench. The hope for Arsenal fans is that this result can prove a turning point. If it had finished 4-2 or 3-2, we may not have seen such a frantic week in the transfer market. It was certainly not the way the club usually does business under Arsène. But it did meet one of his requirements –the players he has brought in are better than the ones he has in the team. Signing Mikel Arteta came as a shock – although not as much of a shock as it must have been to David Moyes. Losing one of your key players when there is no time to find a replacement is hard on him and a club who look close to being in freefall. They’ve a big couple of weeks ahead.