Arsenal: Monreal Comments Suggest Perez Will Hit The Ground Running

Nacho Monreal has stated that he is surprised by Arsenal’s latest addition Lucas Perez. Such comments suggest that he will hit the ground running.

With the international break now in the rear-view mirror, Arsenal returned to training this week looking to build on an impressive 3-1 victory over Watford, the first three points of what has been a difficult start to the campaign. However, with a run of decent fixtures to come, the early lost ground can be recovered, starting with a win against Southampton on Saturday.

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One of the key storylines to follow on Saturday will be the performances of latest additions Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez. The former is expected to start at the weekend alongside Laurent Koscielny while the latter will most probably start on the bench. Nonetheless, if he is able to show his qualities off the bench and in training, then it won’t be too long until he is a regular starter.

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One man who has been impressed with Perez’s initial impression is compatriot Nacho Monreal, with the experienced left back praising the forward’s physical attributes while also noting that the typical language barrier issues should not have the same effect in Perez’s bedding in phase:

"““Lucas Perez is a great striker. He had a fantastic campaign, scoring 17 league goals, despite not playing for one of the strongest teams. He is quick, left-footed and he finds spaces really easily. He is going to help us a lot. After having a few training sessions with him, I can say that I am very surprised with him. He is a very good player and he will fit into the group nicely. The language barrier is the first challenge a foreign player must face. Fortunately for Lucas, he speaks a decent English and understands everything. The language barrier won´t be an issue for him.”"

Perez is entering a squad of great competition. While there is a lack of true world class players beyond the wondrous talents of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, there is a host of good, but not great, attackers. From Olivier Giroud to Theo Walcott, Wenger has a plethora of options to choose from without any of them standing head and shoulders above the rest.

Consequently, Perez can come in with an air of expectation that, if he performs to the level that Wenger at least expects of him, he can forge a place in the starting lineup, either as the central striker or wide on the right. Monreal is clearly bullish about his new teammate’s ability, and with the usual issue of language seemingly less of an obstacle in Perez’s case, then there is sufficient reason to believe that he can have a fast start to his Arsenal career.

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It is always an exciting period when new signings come into the squad and we, as casual fans and journalists, get to often enjoy our first detailed sighting of the additions. For Perez, there is a degree of pressure on his shoulders to solve the issues of Arsenal’s strikers. Monreal is one that believes he can deliver.