Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall says he is delighted that the Gunners have finally secured the services of Alessio Russo.

The England international joined the London club from Manchester United earlier this month and asked why he was so desperate to land the 24-year-old, Eidevall said:

“The combination of her work rate and technical level provide solutions in so many situations in the final third. Some players have one and not the other. But Alessia has both, which makes her a special player.”

Eidevall also revealed that he first started following Russo at the start of 2022, and he finally landed her signature eighteen months later:

“The interest started to grow in January (2022) when we played Manchester United twice after I’d been in England for six months and we started to get a good impression. In the Euros, she showed a lot of potential with her performances and that’s when the spark really turned into a fire. From then on, she was a priority target.”

Russo could turn out to be a bargain for Arsenal

The Gunners were so determined to sign Russo that they were prepared to break the British transfer record with a £250,000 bid during the 2023 January transfer window.

United rejected the offer at the time, and Arsenal ultimately snapped her up on a free transfer when her contract expired at the Red Devils.

Considering Eidevall’s praise for Russo, the Swede will be delighted that they managed to get her without paying a fee.

The new Arsenal signing could star at the World Cup

England manager Sarina Wiegman does have a dilemma on her hands ahead of the Lionesses’ opening game against Haiti.

Rachel Daly’s phenomenal form for Aston Villa last season may mean that she is favoured ahead of Russo for the first group fixture, but you would still back the Arsenal ace to feature prominently as the tournament progresses.