Martin Keown has been talking about Arsenal signing Shkodran Mustafi of late, and he is full of praise for the new arrival.
The centre-back joined from Valencia this summer in a reported £35 Million deal, and is yet to taste defeat in any of his six appearances thus far, including five wins, and his partnership with Laurent Koscielny is already looking like one to be excited about.
Rob Holding had been impressing alongside our first-choice French defender prior to the German international’s arrival, but he has been struggling to dislodge the new pairing, and our form since his arrival can not be sniffed at.
Martin Keown has now moved to praise the performances of our new signing, describing his as all-round centre-back.
He said: ‘I like the way Mustafi organises himself. He is very good at slowing down his opponent, quick to get into position and reacts to danger quickly.
‘He has a no-nonsense approach. He is also not selfish – he wants to help his partner.
‘At 6ft, Mustafi is not the tallest but he has that spring and athleticism. Those attributes help create a better all-round centre back.
‘Koscielny has also responsed well to the challenge. Gabriel and Per Mertsacker are coming back for from injury while Rob Holding is a good prospect, so Koscielny and Mustafi will have to prove they are the No1 pairing.’
Mustafi has quickly impressed us in his short time at the club, and our club as a whole has certainly been in much better form since his arrival, and we can only hope that he proves to be just as steady when the going gets tough, which will no doubt happen at some point this term.
Is the German perfectly suited to play alongside Kosc? Have we found any weak-points in his game as of yet?
Pat J