Samir Nasri, the France midfielder, has completed his protracted move from Marseilles to Arsenal for an undisclosed fee. He has reportedly signed a four-year contract at the Emirates Stadium, and his arrival is expected to hasten the departure of Alexander Hleb, with Barcelona leading the race to sign him.

Nasri, 21, can operate on the left of midfield, where Hleb has been playing, or through the middle, where Arsenal have a hole to fill after the exit of Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan.

"I am very happy to become an Arsenal player, it means such a lot to me," Nasri said. "This is a very important step in my life as a football player because Arsenal is a massive club.

"I really hope everything will go well for me here. I will my best for Arsenal and its fans and I am honoured to be part of such a great football club."

And Nasri revealed that Arsene Wenger had played a big part in his decision to sign for the club. "The fact that Arsène Wenger gives great opportunities to young players is very important for me," he said. "Arsène has a great reputation and he is one of the best managers in the world.

"He has proved that he puts a lot of confidence in the young players and he gives them a chance. It was very important for me to have such a great manager to work with and I’m really looking forward to working with both Arsène Wenger and all my new team-mates.

"I really hope everything will go well for me here. I will give my best for Arsenal and its fans and I am honoured to be part of such a great football club."

Wenger was delighted to have finally signed a player he says has great promise. "He is young, quick and technically an outstanding player," he said. "He has shown great potential with his performances for Marseille and the French national team over the past two seasons and he will add great quality to our squad."