Shkodran Mustafi backs new Arsenal team-mate Lucas Perez to shine in England



Perez joined the Gunners in a £17million deal from Deportivo La Coruna ahead of the transfer deadline, as manager Arsene Wenger finally was able to reinforce his attacking options.

Germany international Mustafi joined on the same day in a £35million deal from Valencia, a team Perez scored twice against last season on his way to a 17-goal haul in LaLiga.

"He is uncomfortable to play against," Mustafi said

"He's a good striker - he has everything a striker needs

"He's someone you can play well with

He doesn't just run around and wait for someone to give him a pass to score a goal

He works a lot for the team as well and he creates chances.

"He's in the right place at the right time, as he showed last year in LaLiga

I played there for two years and I know it's not that easy to score many goals in LaLiga, because you have great defenders there as well.

"I think he's going to help the team a lot."

Perez and Mustafi trained with Arsenal on Wednesday as the squad returned from the international break, and could feature in Saturday's home match against Southampton

Central defender Mustafi is confident his switch to the English Premier League can prove a success, having taken some words of advise from Germany team-mate Mesut Ozil

"We were at the European Championship and we had time to speak

He (Ozil) told me about the club, about the team, and the things that he told me made me come here," Mustafi added

"I noticed that it's a club where I can develop, where I can grow as a player

"He said that he's happy here, that the people are crazy for football and that it's a team that enjoys playing football the way that he does, the way that I do."

Wenger will be hoping for a clean bill of health from the returning internationals, with the likes of forward Alexis Sanchez having played the full 90 minutes in both of Chile's World Cup qualifiers.

Source : PA

Source: PA