Samir Nasri believes Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh can be a real handful against Chelsea.
Nasri warns Blues to beware of new arrival upfront
Samir Nasri believes Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh can be a real handful against Chelsea on Sunday.
The 26-year-old has settled quickly at the Emirates following this summer's free transfer switch from Bordeaux, netting four goals in nine appearances.
Injuries to team-mates mean Chamakh has found himself deployed at the head of the attack and Nasri believes he can cause John Terry and the rest of the Chelsea rearguard problems at Stamford Bridge.
Nasri said: "Marouane has already shown how useful he can be for us.
"He is a target man, can win aerial balls and is not a selfish striker.
"He can make assists for other players and he has exactly the qualities needed for the Premier League."
Only happy
Former Marseille winger Nasri played against Chamakh in the French Ligue 1 and he was only happy to help his new team-mate when he arrived at the Emirates.
"I helped him a lot when he arrived - I knew him from playing against each other in France, but we also knew each other off the pitch," he said.
"Marouane is a good guy, I like him as a person, so it was easy for me to assist him."
Chamakh was one of three new arrivals with a French connection this summer, with defender Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci also signing for the Gunners.
Koscielny is expected to come back into the team alongside Squillaci on Sunday, having sat out the midweek UEFA Champions League victory over Partizan Belgrade, and Nasri admits the 25-year-old former Lorient centre-half has been a surprise package.
"I am surprised about Laurent, simply because I did not know him very well when he was playing in France," said Nasri.
Good defender
"But he is a really good defender - he wins duels, he is good in the air, he is strong and he has very good technique for a defender, which means he can play well with the midfield.
"He has already shown he can come forward and score."
Nasri has recovered from minor knee surgery to produce a couple of eye-catching displays recently, notching a brace in 3-2 defeat against West Brom as well as two extra-time penalties in the Carling Cup win over Tottenham.
The 23-year-old, though, maintains there is more to come, saying: "I still have room for improvement and am just keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have any more injuries.
"I felt I have started the season very well, then I had to have some minor surgery, but it all went without problems, and I feel positive."
