10 things you need to know about Diego Perotti

1. Diego was born on July 26, 1988, in Buenos Aries, Argentina. He’s 27 years old.

2. He made his name for himself at Deportivo Moron in the Argentinian capital and after regularly scoring during the 2006-07 season, he was spotted by scouts working for Sevilla and moved to Europe in July 2007.

3. Originally signed for the Andalusian’s B-side team, the Argentinian made such a strong impression – helping the team retain its place in the second division - that he was soon promoted to the first team.

4. On 15 February 2009, Perotti made his first-team debut in a 2-0 win at Espanyol.

5. Perotti’s first Sevilla goal came against Deportivo La Coruna on 23 May 2009. The goal wasn’t only important for the player – it also sealed a third-place league finish for Sevilla and ensured the club a spot in the Champions League for the second consecutive season.

6. After being rewarded with a call-up to the Argentinian national side, he made his debut against Spain in Madrid on 14 November 2009 – coming on to replace a certain Lionel Messi.

7. During six seasons in Spain, Perotti made 159 appearances and scored 16 goals for Sevilla.

8. While Sevilla were never serious challengers to Barcelona and Madrid for the La Liga title, Diego did taste success in Spain - winning the Copa Del Rey in 2010 and the Europa League in 2014.

9. Perotti signed for Genoa in the summer of 2014 and scored four goals and laid on five assists during his debut season in Serie A. This season, the winger has scored one goal and created 32 chances for his team-mates.

10. In November 2015, the British football press began reporting that Arsene Wenger wanted to sign the player in the January transfer window. Jumping the gun a bit, it wasn’t long before the obligatory ‘Diego Perotti: Welcome to Arsenal’ YouTube skills montage video was created and published on the video platform.