Markus Schubert has revealed the the reason why he chose to join Schalke 04 after rejecting a move to Arsenal.
The 21-year-old was a top target for the Gunners after his contract with Bundesliga 2 side Dymano Dresden expired at the end of the season.
Unai Emery's side were confident of capturing the young stopper's signature, however competition for Schubert was stern.
As well as Schalke, the likes of Bayern Munich and VFB Stuttgart were also keen however it seems that the possibility of gaining more regular playing time proved decisive as Schubert put pen-to-paper on a four-year contract with the Bundesliga side.
Speaking to the Schalke website, he said: "I am absolutely convinced that I can take my next steps here and made my decision from many requests very consciously met.
"I had great discussions with the people in charge, as well as goalkeeping coach Simon Henzler who shared his ideas about goalkeeper training.
"I connect Schalke 04 with great fans, passion, ambition and honest work - I can identify with it 100 percent.
"I will give everything to make Schalke 04 successful, and I'm looking forward to the task."
Arsenal have made slow progress in the transfer market ahead of their return to pre-season training.
Bids for Kieran Tierney and Wilfried Zaha have been rejected by Celtic and Crystal Palace, with the position of the latter club increasingly hardening after a £40m offer that represents just half of their minimum valuation for the Ivory Coast international.
