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Amidst growing pressure from the fans following their loss to arch rivals Manchester United, Arsene Wenger has finally splashed the cash and has landed attacking full back Andre Santos from Turkish outfit Fenerbahce. Although the fee involved to bring the 28-year old to the Emirates has not been disclosed, the Daily Mail claims that it is around the £6.2m mark. Wenger’s sudden move for Santos can also be due to the fact that reserve left back Armand Traore, who was getting game time due the absence of Kieran Gibbs, was shown to be rather inept to fulfil that role for the Gunners and has since been allowed to complete a £2m move to Premier League newcomers QPR.

Santos started his senior career with Brazilian club Figueirense in the year 2004. In his four years with the club, the defender made just 61 appearances and had two loan spells with Flamengo and Atletico Mineiro. He was then snapped up by Corinthians in 2008, where he spent another season before moving to Fenerbahce. The Brazilian grew in stature at the Turkish club and also established himself as somewhat of a goalscorer, having found the back of the net 10 times in 52 appearances, an excellent record for a defender. Santos has also made 17 appearances for the Brazil national side, the last one being in the recently concluded Copa America.

Arsenal’s left back woes are not new and date back to the time Ashley Cole left in acrimonious fashion for Chelsea. Before Cole, the Gunners had the services of a certain Nigel Winterburn, who became a legend after clocking 440 appearances in his 13 years at the club. Following his departure in 2000, Cole who was just 20-years of age back then was handed the starting role. Young Ashley put in some solid performances and managed to stay consistent for a long period of time, thereby establishing himself as one of the most accomplished left backs in the world. His departure for the lure of money to Chelsea thrust Gael Clichy into the role, perhaps a little sooner than he was ready for it.

Wenger appears to be wary of making the same mistake with Kieran Gibbs and has turned to Santos, a 28-year old, who could well plug the gap for Arsenal in the short term. He would also more than compensate for the loss of Gael Clichy, who in all fairness, was never a world class player or a fan favourite. In fact his mistake in the 2-2 draw against Birmingham in the 2007-08 season, which saw him carelessly give the ball away and then recklessly tackle inside the box to gift Birmingham a late penalty, will always be remembered as the incident that triggered Arsenal’s demise in the title race.

Although the 21-year old Kieran Gibbs had become Arsenal’s preferred choice in the left side of denfece, he is prone to getting injured and is currently out with a hamstring ailment, leaving Arsenal with no other option than to field their latest signing from the word go. What Santos’ signing will also mean is that the relatively inexperienced Gibbs can now be eased into the first team once he learns the nuances of the game completely instead of being thrust into action so early in his career.

Speaking to the club's official website Santos said: "I am delighted to have signed for Arsenal. It was one of my dreams to play for a major European football club and I have accomplished this. I am very happy to be part of this team. All the Brazilians who came to this club spoke wonders about it and I am delighted to be part of the Arsenal family."

Manager Arsene Wenger added, “Santos is a quality player, with the ability to both defend well and get forward and help with attacks. He has experience in the Champions League and for Brazil and has proven he can deliver at the highest level. We welcome Santos to the Club and look forward to him having a big impact for us.”

Andre Santos will wear the No 11 shirt at Arsenal.

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