Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has lauded the impact of Brazil duo Willian and Gabriel Magalhaes after the pair helped the Gunners to a flying start to their Premier League campaign.
The winger who arrived from Chelsea and Gabriel from Lille were all given the chance to make their first competitive appearance for the club against Fulham in the opening weekend of the top flight.
Willian provided two assists while the central defender also found his name on the score sheet as Arsenal won the game by three goals to nil against the newly promoted side at the Craven Cottage.
And the Spanish manager was full of praise for his players having had a straight away effect on his team’s performance on Saturday.
“It was really good,” Arteta said. “Obviously for Willian. He knows the league, the country and is very settled here so I knew his performance would settle straight away.
“For Gabriel it was a big challenge for him today to come in. He hadn’t played any football in the last six months and he had a terrific performance.”
“Ideally, I wanted to give him some time because he only trained for a few days with the team and physically hasn’t played a competitive match for six months, so obviously it was a risk of injury as well.
“But credit to him, he performed well, physically he felt really good and he was very happy to play.”
Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were also on the score sheet for the Gunners, with the strike partners opening the account for the season.
The north London side are currently ahead of Newcastle United on the Premier League table, with just goals separating the two after the Magpies 2-0 win over West Ham United later on Saturday.
Arsenal will play West Ham United in their next fixture in the Premier League next weekend.
