Arsenal complete permanent signing of Barcelona star

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Spain international Mariona Caldentey on a permanent deal, following the expiration of her contract with Barcelona.

The 28-year-old joins the Gunners after 10 years with the Liga F giants. After developing through the youth ranks at UD Collerense, she joined the Catalan club in 2014 after impressing for the Spain national team at under-19 level.

Throughout her 10 years at Barcelona, Caldentey made over 300 senior appearances and won six league titles, three Champions Leagues, six Spanish Cups, four Spanish Super Cups and six Catalan Cups. For Spain, she was part of the World Cup winning squad last summer and the Nations League winning team earlier this year.

Caldentey is also the fifth all-time top scorer in Barcelona history having scored 114 goals across all competitions throughout her time at the club. For the national team, she has scored 26 goals in her 72 caps so far.

"I'm so happy to be here," Caldentey told arsenal.com. "This is the right time for a new challenge for me and Arsenal is the perfect place. I think what Arsenal are doing as a club is amazing – on and off the pitch. I love the way we want to play as a team and I think there’s a strong mentality building here.

"It’s been incredible to see what the club has done away from the pitch, with supporters following the team everywhere and lots of records being broken. I can’t wait to get started and help the team win trophies and entertain our supporters."

Head Coach Jonas Eidevall added: "Mariona is a world-class forward and we are delighted to bring her to Arsenal. She’s a winner with proven experience of excelling on the biggest stage, which is exactly where we aim to be at this club. We believe Mariona will be a superb addition to our squad here at Arsenal, as we prepare for an exciting new season together."

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