He was the driving force behind the Blues and Whites mid-table finish last season when many were expecting them to struggle.
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It looks like the 25-year-old is now closing in on a swift return to action as Gabriel has been photographed taking part in training today with the rest of the first team squad at London Colney.
They scored a joint league-high 15 headed goals in the 2015-16 season, level with West Ham.
He will use Granit Xhaka and Santi Cazorla as the two central midfielders, leaving Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny on the bench.
Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi could make his debut, with fellow new signing Lucas Perez also available.
“Lucas Perez is an interesting striker who is versatile, can play on the flank and especially though the middle”.
Puel, 54, was a former Monaco player under Arsene Wenger but since moving into management their paths haven’t crossed despite Arsenal and French duo Lille and Lyon regularly playing in the Champions League.
“We need to get the first victory as soon as possible, but it’s going to be a good test for us at Arsenal”.
“Certainly I haven’t had a squad of players [like this] for a long time, who have enough experience to compete”. He doesn’t just run around and wait for someone to give him a pass to score.
International Business Times claim that Perez snubbed a move to Everton, Hull City, Villarreal and Sevilla before penning a four-year contract with Arsene Wenger’s side.
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“People don’t sometimes realise how good his work with Arsenal has been, and I really think he’s a good example for all the other trainers”. “I played there for two years and I know it’s not that easy to score many goals in LaLiga, because you have great defenders there as well”, Mustafi added.
