New Arsenal signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain confessed that he is delighted to be a Gunner after sealing a move from Southampton for an undisclosed fee.

The 17-year old told the Club’s official website that he is aware of the fact that he needs to work extremely hard to reach the level of the other players adding that his objective is to impress manager Arsene Wenger so as to first secure a regular place with the Gunners and then make it into the England senior team.

The Englishman declared that the likes of Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere show that young players are always given a chance by the Arsenal boss and that he is ready to take full advantage of any opportunities handed to me by the manager.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was also full of praise for former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry as he described him as a one who scored amazing goals, was quick with his feet and was exciting to watch.

In his first interview as an Arsenal player, the youngster said:

To sign for Arsenal is a dream. I know there is a lot of hard work for me to get to the level of the players already at the club, but for me it is going to be fantastic – having watched them week in, week out – to finally have a chance of playing alongside them.

Arsenal are always one of the teams I followed. I would always take time to watch them on television because that is the best way to learn – watching the boys here at Arsenal.

I want to work hard to make that happen and, hopefully, to make the kind of impact that will help me into the England senior team. Everybody knows that Mr. Wenger is an incredible teacher.

I’m just hoping that I can learn from him in the way that so many players have done. I’ve said before that Theo [Walcott] has been amazing since he has gone through the same route as me, from Southampton to Arsenal. When he has played for England, he has been fantastic.

And people already know that, even though Jack Wilshere is only 19, he is still being looked at by Fabio Capello for the national team. I’ve followed Jack over the last few years and what he has achieved under Mr. Wenger has been amazing. Obviously, I’m hoping I can experience that same kind of success.

I’ve come to Emirates Stadium a few times this season to watch a few games and I was just blown away by the atmosphere, the fans and everything about it. It would be hard to refuse an opportunity like this.

To have the opportunity to play here, develop my game and learn from the players here is very exciting for me. It’s a massive club. They don’t get much bigger than Arsenal and I’ve always been a big fan.

Growing up, Thierry Henry was one of my favourite players. Some of the stuff he used to do. He used to score some amazing goals, he was quick and he was exciting to watch.

He was always the star man on Match of the Day. The highlights were always of him and some of the goals he scored were fantastic.