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"Bit surprising" - Player says Arsenal have signed a "quality" star who works "really hard"

Arsenal have splashed the cash this summer in a bid to win their first Premier League title in over 20 years, and Mikel Arteta may not even be done there.

While a move for Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze grows more and more unlikely by the day, amid stiff competition from Tottenham, who are now in talks for the England international, Andrea Berta could still go after a left-winger.

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This would be dependent on one of Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli leaving in the next two weeks, or perhaps both, but Arteta has already confirmed that Arsenal are still looking at opportunities after signing Kepa, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera and Viktor Gyokeres.

“Let’s see,” Arteta said when asked about Arsenal's transfer plans for the rest of the window.

“Let’s see what happens, in terms of where the squad is in the next few weeks.

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“But, we are actively looking at options. As well, there are a few players, maybe, that they have to leave as well. So, we will be open to see what happens.”

It's important to note that a move for Eze still hasn't been entirely ruled out by credible media sources, but Tottenham appear to be taking pole position for him right now amid their glaring need for a playmaker to replace the injured James Maddison.

Arsenal's hesitation is a result of their already-stocked central attacking midfield (talkSPORT), with club captain Martin Odegaard set for another key role going forward and Ethan Nwaneri tipped for more minutes after committing his future to the Emirates Stadium.

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In truth, Arteta is very well reinforced in midfield, having also welcomed the arrivals of Zubimendi and Norgaard to replace Jorginho and Thomas Partey - who both left N5 after their contracts expired.

Norgaard in particular already boasts considerable Premier League experience from his time at Brentford, where he captained the Bees and stood out as perhaps one of their more underappreciated key players.

Mikkel Damsgaard says Arsenal have made a "surprising" signing in Norgaard

His former teammate at the Gtech Community Stadium, Mikkel Damsgaard, is convinced that Norgaard will be a quality signing for Arteta - albeit a "surprising" one.

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Speaking to Danish news outlet Tipsbladet, via Sport Witness, Damsgaard says his fellow Dane is a hard-working player and backs him to succeed in north London.

“Yes, you could say that it was a bit surprising," said Damsgaard about Norgaard's move to Arsenal.

"He really deserved it with how he played last season. I don’t know if it’s an underrated signing, but I really think it’s a really good signing for Arsenal. He’s a player who just has a lot of quality and works really hard."

Interestingly, former Tottenham director Frank Arnesen echoes this sentiment - calling Norgaard the "whole package".

"Every dressing room would be thrilled to have him. He has the right mentality, is a team player and has the attitude," said Arnsen in late June.

“Mikel Arteta was fantastic as a player, I think, and as a coach he has done absolutely superbly, both as an assistant at Manchester City and afterwards at Arsenal with the way he plays football.

“He doesn’t just take a player in without knowing exactly what he’s going to use him for. Maybe he won’t play 50 games, you don’t know, maybe it’ll only be 30, but it’s about the whole package. He gets the whole package with Christian.”

The 31-year-old signed a two-year contract with Arsenal, who spent an initial £10 million, plus £5m in add-ons, to secure his signature.

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