Mustafi & Perez set to start for Arsenal against Southampton
The summer signings are expected to make their full debuts against on Saturday after arriving for a combined £50 million before the close of the transfer window
Posted Saturday, September 10, 2016 by Goal.com
Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez are expected to make their full Arsenal debuts against Southampton on Saturday, Goal understands.
The summer arrivals from Valencia and Deportivo have been training with their new team-mates for the past few days and have reportedly settled in to the squad much quicker than expected.
Mustafi, in particular, is already close friends with Mesut Ozil and the absent Per Mertesacker, which has helped his acclimatisation process, while Spanish forward Perez - who speaks adequate English - has spent much of his time with compatriots Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal and Santi Cazorla since joining.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of the visit of the Saints, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admitted he was pleased to have been able to add players in the prime of their careers.
"I would say it's the most mature squad I've had for a long time, because they are men," he said.
"They are not 19 or 20 years old, they are 24, 27, 28 and the whole squad is quite mature. It's the first time for a long time that I've had a team of what you can call men ready to compete. After, we have to show that we are good enough to beat everybody else."
Alex Iwobi will return for the match against Claude Puel's side but the game will come too soon for Aaron Ramsey, who Arsene Wenger confirmed could be back for next weekend's clash with Chelsea.
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