Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hails ‘brilliant’ Santi Cazorla

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain admits he has been impressed by Santi Cazorla’s impact at Arsenal since the Spain international joined the Gunners from Malaga earlier this month.

The 27-year-old produced an eye-catching display in his first Premier League appearance as the Gunners played out a goalless draw with Sunderland last Saturday.

And Oxlade-Chamberlain, who missed Arsenal’s top-flight opener through injury, is looking forward to linking up with the Spaniard as the new season gets into full swing.

“He’s brilliant,” Oxlade-Chamberlain told Arsenal’s website. “He’s a typical Spanish player, really technical. He’s got a good right foot, a good left foot and he can dribble.

“He’s small so he’s not the most physical but that highlights how good he is with his feet and with his mind. From what I’ve seen of him so far in training, he’s brilliant – a really good asset to the squad.

“We saw against Sunderland what he’s capable of. I thought he had a good game; he did a lot of clever things. I played with him in [the friendly in] Cologne in midfield and got on really well with him there.

“You know when you get a buzz off a player, and you could bounce off him and get good vibes. Santi has that with everyone because he’s that sort of player.”