Arsenal defender Ngoyo says the club’s high standards mean they are aiming to win every competition, including the Champions League, after making an immediate impact since joining from Aston Villa this summer.
The centre-back has helped Arsenal keep five clean sheets, with the latest coming in Sunday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
His contribution was particularly important in the closing stages. In the second minute of stoppage time, Ngoyo raced back and produced a perfectly timed tackle to prevent Forest from getting a clear shot on goal.
Speaking after the match, he said those are the types of away games Arsenal must win if they are to challenge for major honours.
“If you want to win titles, you have to come to tough away grounds like this and get three points,” Ngoyo said.
The defender also described the challenge of facing different types of Premier League forwards, saying he relished the opportunity to test himself against the best strikers.
“As a centre-back, I look forward to playing against the best strikers. In the Premier League, every striker has their own characteristics,” he said.
“For example, Delap is a very physical striker, and he caused me some trouble. Sometimes you have to track back to make that tackle, and sometimes if your positioning is better, you don’t even need to make the challenge – but when it works, it feels great.”
Ngoyo said Arsenal’s defensive record last season was one of the reasons he wanted to help maintain their standards after arriving at the club.
“Everyone saw Arsenal’s defensive record last season, how they kept getting clean sheets. I wanted to continue that when I joined,” he explained.
He added that the support of the squad and coaching staff had helped him settle quickly. Ngoyo already knew some Arsenal players through the England national team, but said the welcome he received from everyone at the club had made the transition easier.
“From day one, the players and coaching staff have been a great help to me. I knew a few people from the England national team, but from the start, everyone made me feel welcome. I’m really happy to be here.”
The move also fulfilled a childhood ambition. Ngoyo said he had supported Arsenal as a boy, owned several of the club’s shirts and shared his admiration on social media before eventually joining them.
“I was an Arsenal fan as a kid, had plenty of Arsenal shirts when I was young, and posted some stuff on social media. You dream of playing for a big club like this, and when you see the players they’ve had over the years, to be one of them, that’s what it means.”
He believes Arsenal’s current squad should set its sights as high as possible.
“With the players and standards we have, we 100% want to win everything, including the Champions League.”
