Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor signed a long-term contract for Arsenal from French outfit AS Monaco for an undisclosed fee, the Premiership club announced on the official club website on Friday. "This is a great day for me. I am joining Arsenal, one of Europe's leading teams, with a squad containing so many great players. I am looking forward to working very hard for the team and I hope I can give the Arsenal fans a lot of enjoyment in the future," Adebayor was quoted as saying. The 21-year-old Striker was named top scorer of the African Zone in the 2006 World Cup Qualifiers with a tally of 11 goals, leading Togo to their debut in the World Cup Finals. "Emmanuel Adebayor is a great addition to our squad. He has shown in his performances with Monaco and Togo that he will add great quality to our offensive game," Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said. "He is tall, good in the air and makes good runs. We are looking forward to him joining the squad when he returns from the African Nations Cup," he added. Adebayor, who spent two seasons at French club Metz, was put in a tight spot after Monaco signed Italian strikers Marco Di Vaio and Christian Vieri, which meant he would be forced to fight for a place in the starting line-up. The talented forward was barred from the Monaco team after skipping training for a number of days and was going to be subjected to financial sanctions. Adebayor's dispute with Monaco aslo rooted from the fact that the player wanted to represent Togo in their African Cup of Nations (ACN) campaign in Egypt, while the team preferred that he stay and join their training for their upcoming matches. The Former Monaco star who will reportedly wear the number 25 shirt at Arsenal is now expected to be named in the Togo squad for the African Cup after being cleared from his contract with the French club. Togo will face a hefty fine incase they decide to include Adebayor in their squad, after missing the January 10th deadline for sending in the final squad list.
