Arsene Wenger has praised new signing Lucas Perez after his double helped Arsenal to a 4-0 away victory against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup third round.
Perez, 27, netted his first goal for the club from the penalty spot in the second half, before adding a second 11 minutes later with a determined effort being rewarded.
“He has shown what I expected from him,” the Frenchman told Sky Sports.
“He has shown he works hard for the team and he can score goals but he has shown he can also be a team player, especially for the fourth goal that Oxlade-Chamberlain scored. He played a big part in that.
“I’m very pleased with the effort he put in and with the quality he showed.”
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Wenger’s other high-profile summer signing, Granit Xhaka, netted a long-range thunderbolt to open the scoring four days after a similar effort against Hull City.
When the Arsenal boss was asked if he knew the midfielder possessed this trait to his game, he responded: “Honestly, not really. I knew he had a good shot but he played very deep last year and didn’t get forward a lot.
“I hope that will give him a taste for more but it’s great for him to get confidence as well and to know that he can score goals.”
Wenger went further to state his support for the new pair after impressive showings of late.
“I hope they’ve convinced our supporters and everybody that loves our club that they can be part of us.”
It’s 4th v 5th on Saturday, as Arsenal host Chelsea with a chance to consolidate a spot in the top six on the line.
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