Santi Cazorla wants to end Arsenal‘s trophy drought after becoming the latest high-profile recruit at the Emirates Stadium. Cazorla on Tuesday joined the Gunners on a long-term contract from the Spanish club Málaga for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £16m.

An attacking midfielder also adept at playing on either wing, the 27-year-old Spain international is an impressive addition to a squad already strengthened by the recent arrival of the strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud.

Seven years have passed since Arsenal lifted any silverware, but Cazorla believes fortunes will change following the flurry of transfer activity in north London.

“There’s a very good squad here and we want to fight for titles and win titles,” he told the Arsenal Player website. “The club has made a big step to sign players to have a better team and meet the expectations of the fans. I’m very happy to be here, Arsenal are a huge club. I hope to win trophies here, that is what I want.”

Cazorla has 45 caps for Spain and was a member of the squads that won the European Championship in 2008 and this year. He was an influential figure in Málaga’s fourth-place finish in La Liga last season when the club qualified for the Champions League for the first time.

Arsenal, who have been over-reliant on Robin van Persie for goals, will hope he eases the scoring burden on their forwards after he scored nine times in the league last term.

Cazorla consulted the former Gunners Robert Pires and Cesc Fàbregas over the transfer and was encouraged by what he heard. “Robert played with me at Villarreal. He knew about the rumours of me coming here and always encouraged me to sign,” he said. “He told me it was a very good club and I was going to enjoy London, the city and the move.

“The same with Cesc Fàbregas. He said this was a big club and that I was going to be very happy here, he said I would adapt easily. And I can feel that.”

Cazorla, the 2007 Spanish player of the year, joined Málaga in 2011 following two stints with Villarreal. “Santi has good experience at both club and international level and is a great signing for us,” the Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said. “He has good pace, is technically gifted and will be a huge asset to us.”

Arsenal have confirmed that Cazorla has already linked up with his new team-mates after being given permission by Málaga to join their pre-season training camp in Germany. His arrival and the previous capture of Podolski and Giroud continues the Gunners’ promising summer in the transfer window.

The Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin remains a target for Wenger after the 23-year-old was told he could leave Real Madrid on loan, as the does France youth international M’Baye Niang of Caen.

Reports over the weekend stated that Arsenal’s transfer activity may have persuaded Van Persie to stay, but his future at the club is uncertain. To date Van Persie has refused to extend his contract, which expires next summer, with Manchester United and Juventus leading the chase after the Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini admitted it is unlikely he will sign the Holland striker.

Potentially making room for the influx of new arrivals in north London is Andrey Arshavin with Galatasaray linked with a move for the Russian playmaker.