Wenger adds £2.5m Cygan to Highbury's French legion

PASCAL CYGAN yesterday signed a four-year deal with Premiership champions Arsenal and was immediately tipped for an international future by Arsene Wenger.

Cygan, 28, arrived at Highbury for an undisclosed fee, thought to be around stg£2.5million, from French club Lille.

Arsenal manager Wenger has brought in the centre-back to fill the void left by Tony Adams’ imminent retirement.

And he believes Cygan can add to his legion of France cap holders, following in the footsteps of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord.

With France likely to restructure their personnel after their disappointment in Japan and Korea, Wenger believes there is a chance for him to step up.

“I think the last four years with the French team has been a bit of a closed circle after they won the World Cup,” said Wenger. “There could be a chance for him in the next few months.”

Cygan, however, has other priorities. “My first target is to try to become a regular member of the team at Arsenal,” he said. “If I manage to do that, the consequence of it might be to get into the French national team. First I have to fight hard here.”

The arrival of Cygan came on the same day the north London club announced another of their defenders, Martin Keown, had signed a new two-year deal.

Wenger views the left-footed Frenchman as an ideal complement to either Keown or his England colleague Sol Campbell and is the man that will be handed the gargantuan task of filling Adams’ size 13s.

Adams, whose name is being linked with several managerial jobs, is expected to confirm his retirement in the coming days.

But Wenger moved to relieve the pressure on his new signing. “We have to forget Tony Adams because Tony Adams is unique. You will not just find a Tony Adams around the corner.”

However, he was quick to point out that they have overcome the departures of Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn and, more recently, Lee Dixon from Highbury.

“They were all exceptional, but we had to handle it. You have to find a collective solution to replace one individual,” said Wenger. “Pascal is an organiser and that is where he has the characteristics of Tony. It will take some time because he will need to learn the language first.

“He has the potential to be a leader, but at the moment we have to take it step by step. He is strong mentally, intelligent and if he needs some time we will give it to him.”

Time is something Wenger has given to some of his other acquisitions over the past six years and subsequently reaped the rewards. Robert Pires made a slow start in adapting to English football after his move from Marseille, but went on to claim last season’s Footballer of the Year prize, while Brazilian Edu finally showed his worth in the latter months of the double campaign.

Cygan’s rise has been considerable, emerging onto the Champions League stage last season just four years after debuting in the French top-flight.

Meanwhile, the Arsenal manager confirmed he hoped England goalkeeper David Seaman will sign a new contract shortly and insisted there had been no approach from Everton for Seaman’s Highbury understudy Richard Wright.

But another of the club’s keepers, Alex Manninger, who is being linked to Espanol, will be released this week in the wake of a similar departure by Alberto Mendez.