It was not that long ago that Arsenal under Arsene Wenger had forged a reputation of being a team full of foreigners, as the old guard of Gunners like Tony Adams, Ray Parlour and Ian Wright were replaced by the likes of Kolo Toure, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry.
But Wenger always said that he was all about the quality of the player first and foremost and that has certainly been backed up with a lot of his recent signings and the new look Arsenal squad. And that British core continues to expand at the Emirates, with Danny Welbeck and Calum Chambers joining Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from the England international set up, not forgetting Carl Jenkinson out on loan.
That seems to have helped young Chambers to settle in remarkably quickly and Walcott thinks the same will be true of the new striker. Theo knows Welbeck from their time with England and has told Arsenal Player that he believes the 23-year old has all the attributes, both personally and football-wise, to really do well at his new club, especially as he is going to get a lot more chance to play in his favoured centre forward position.
Walcott said, “I’ve worked with Danny for England and we link up very well. He’s another English guy and we’ve got a good English core now.
“He’s going to be better for us than he was at Man United, definitely. He’ll get more opportunities and he’s got a point to prove. I know he’s worked hard and he’s still very young, and I think the boss will enjoy working with him. The fans definitely will – he’s very exciting and he’s very strong.
“One thing I would tell him to do is be a little more selfish because he’s unselfish at times, which isn’t a bad thing but I think he’ll get more goals if he’s more selfish. I’m sure he’ll do well for us.
“He’s a very good guy and a very hard worker. Off the pitch he’s very relaxed and likes to get involved in anything. He’s just a very well-spoken young man and he’s always eager to improve and spend time with people.
“He fits perfectly into Arsenal, which is such a big family club where everyone’s together. He’ll fit straight in here.”
That certainly seems to be the opinion of most people in football and of course we are all hoping that he gets his Arsenal career off to a good start with a goal or two and all three points against Man City on Saturday.