Perez and Mustafi were surprised by pace of Premier League, says Wenger!
Sep 11, 2016 at 1:53 PM
Arsenal have made it late to clinch three crucial points in their clash against Southampton. The Saints went into the lead early on with a shot getting deflected into the net as it came off the back of Petr Cech.
The Gunners then tried to pull the match back as Laurent Koscielny have scored an outrageous overhead kick goal on his birthday as Arsenal were even at 1-1 at half-time. The second half was about Arsenal finding the goal as the Saints parked the bus and new signing Lucas Perez were subbed off to bring in Olivier Giroud.
Both the new signings Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi have made starts and have been relatively below par when compared to the expectations. Asked about their performance after the match, Arsene Wenger said: ‘I think both are short, they lack competition. They were surprised by the pace [of the game]. Their 2nd half was much better than their first.’
Asked whether the new duo would be featuring in their crucial Champions League opener against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in Paris, Wenger said: ‘They have only played one game. I have to decide if they will feature on Tuesday [vs. PSG].’
Shkodran Mustafi is expected to start against PSG as long-term absentees Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista won’t be available for the clash against PSG. However, Olivier Giroud could be given a nod ahead of new signing Lucas Perez at Paris.