The name Bacary Sagna was an unfamiliar one to the majority of Arsenal fans when the French defender was first linked with a move to Emirates Stadium.
With the 24-year-old now confirmed as Arsene Wenger's latest signing, we spoke to Philippe Auclair of L'Equipe for a French insight into Arsenal's newest recruit.
Read on to find out why Sagna has such a big reputation in his home country, why he can blossom under Wenger's guidance and why he can make the step up to Premiership football.
Philippe, when did you first hear of Bacary Sagna?I heard about him quite a while ago because he has been a regular in the Auxerre team for a few years now. Sagna is a pure product of Auxerre and has been a one-club person. He's a little bit of a late starter because he only emerged when he was 21 but he has proved himself quickly in the team and is now a regular. He won the French Cup with Auxerre too.
How big is his reputation in France?According to everyone in France Sagna was the best right back in Ligue 1 last season. He has been pre-selected for the France squad and no one would be surprised if he becomes a regular for the national side. Willy Sagnol is nearing the end of his career and Raymond Domenech will have his own ideas but I'm sure Sagna will be a part of the national team. At the moment he is perceived as the long-term replacement to Sagnol. France have a glut of attacking midfielders but there is less competition on the right-hand side.
What are his strengths as a footballer?Strength is one of his strengths. He is very quick, technically sound, and tactically very astute too.
He is nominally a right back but which other positions can he play in?Sagna is very dynamic and certainly he could play all along the defensive line even though he is not that tall. He is a fairly compact kind of player, even though he has played in central defence in the past. He played in his natural right-back position for Auxerre but you could even imagine him being moved forward into midfield. Arsene Wenger has a glut of right backs now. Perhaps Emmanuel Eboue will play more on the right side of midfield now with Sagna and Justin Hoyte battling it out for the full back spot. No wide player has been recruited yet which is quite intriguing.
How important was he to Auxerre?Auxerre will miss him a great deal. They have lost two of their big, big players in Sagna and Younes Kaboul but Auxerre are used to this, they are like a super-Crewe Alexandra because they develop players and then see them move on. Sagna is not so young, he is 24, he has established himself.
How quickly do you think he will adapt to English football?He will adapt quickly I think. He is very strong and won't find the physical side of English football a problem. He can cope with the speed of play and he is obviously technically adept because Arsene would never buy a player who wasn't.
Sagna has already worked with one excellent coach, Guy Roux. How can Arsene Wenger improve him?I think what will improve him is the level of play. It's a big jump from Ligue 1 so Arsene can help Sagna raise his game to the level which is needed in the Premiership and the Champions League. He can certainly help Sagna improve his attacking play because Auxerre played quite a closed, compact game tactically. When Guy Roux was in charge they adopted a very disciplined tactical approach. Now he is at Arsenal, Sagna will learn how to 'play' rather than just be a professional defender.
So is he ready to make his mark at Emirates Stadium?I think he is ready. He might not play 50 games in his first season but he is very promising and everyone who has followed Sagna's career thinks he is the best right back in France.