Soccer

Denis Suarez joins Arsenal on loan after extending Barcelona contract

Catalan club have protected the value of their player by extending his contract to 2021

Barcelona’s Denis Suarez has joined Arsenal on loan. Photograph: Reuters

David Hytner
Thu Jan 31 2019 - 12:51

Denis Suarez has completed his loan move from Barcelona to Arsenal for the remainder of the season, the Catalan club have confirmed. Arsenal, who will take on the 25-year-old midfielder's salary in full, will have an option to make the deal permanent in the summer, although that is non-compulsory.

Barcelona have protected the value of their player by extending his contract by 12 months until June 2021 so that, if he was to return to them at the end of the season, he would not then enter the final year on his deal.

Unai Emery, the Arsenal manager, who worked with Suarez at Sevilla in 2014-15, has said that he wants fresh options on the wing. He believes that Suarez can give him that, even if his lack of pace means that he is perhaps not a pure winger. Suarez is a highly technical player, who has good touch and positional sense.

“We are very happy that Denis is joining us,” said Emery. “He is a player we know well and I have worked with him at Sevilla. He brings us quality and options in many different attacking positions, so he’ll be able to help the team.”

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Suarez spent two seasons at Manchester City, Arsenal's opponents on Sunday, from the age of 17, when he made two appearances in the League Cup. He has barely featured for Barcelona this season, making just eight appearances - two of them as a starter in the Copa Del Rey.

Arsenal are also interested in a loan for the Belgium winger Yannick Carrasco, who is at Dalian Yifang in China. They had explored the possibility of taking Ivan Perisic on loan from Internazionale only to be rebuffed and Carrasco, previously of Monaco and Atletico Madrid, was next on their list. Carrasco would be open to a move from China but Arsenal face competition from clubs in Italy, chief among them Milan. Meanwhile, teenagers Emile Smith-Rowe and Eddie Nketiah are set to join RB Leipzig and Augsburg on loan respectively.

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