- Arsenal No2 Pat Rice admits they're pleased with their Champions League win over Olympiakos.
"Needless to say we will be very, very happy with the three points," Rice said.
"That is a completely different ball game at Tottenham.
"The most important thing for us was to win, because it takes us closer to qualifying.
"We will think more about the Tottenham game when we all get together again on Friday."
- Arsenal No2 Pat Rice hailed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after his goal scoring performance in victory over Champions League opponents Olympiakos.
Rice believes the youngster can follow in the footsteps of England winger Theo Walcott, out injured tonight, to play a big role for both club and country in the years ahead.
"From Arsenal supporters' point of view, they are going to be seeing a lot of this boy," Rice said.
"He has a big, big challenge to now get in front of Theo. I know that Theo is a very strong-willed guy as well and he won't give in easy. It all bodes well for England anyway."
Rice added: "Alex can go inside, he can go outside, he's got that injection of pace and I think what he needs now is to be consistent in his play.
"I am sure that is something he will be working on because he's certainly not a stupid boy.
"He has good people around him and they are telling him all the right things.
"Alex is very friendly with Theo and no doubt he will give him the benefit of his experience as well."
- Arsenal No2 Pat Rice says Robin van Persie needed a breather for last night's Champions League win over Olympiakos.
Rice explained: "Robin's been playing a lot of games lately and it was just a question of Chamakh needing games. We just thought that we would give him a go. You can't say that Marouane didn't try.
"If he had a little bit more luck he perhaps might have scored a third goal. But you cannot fault him for his work ethic."
- Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was delighted to score in their Champions League win over Olympiakos.
He said: "It was a really good experience.
"It's a big step up, but I want to play at the top level and I have plenty more time to play in the Champions League."
- Per Mertesacker has revealed that he would have joined Arsenal in the summer of 2010 had his move not been blocked by Werder Bremen.
“I found out [about the Arsenal move] three days before the window closed,” Mertesacker said after his team’s 2-1 Champions League win over Olympiakos. “I did not know before. I was with Bremen in a good situation in the Bundesliga. I was the captain and was involved in everything to do with the club. My mind was there.
“Then Arsene Wenger called my agent and said that ‘perhaps you can be my man’ or something like this. I had to do what he wanted because, one year before, he asked for me and the [general] manager of Werder Bremen, Klaus Allofs, didn’t let me go.”
Mertesacker, who turned 27 on Wednesday, did not take long to accept Wenger’s offer to move to north London.
“I had to do it very quickly but that was kind of my wish to go to the English league a couple of years ago," he said.
“It is a big challenge for me and I said to my family and friends that if everybody agrees with this change, let’s do this together.
“It is totally different, especially in the training. There are more passing sessions every day compared to other clubs. There are the little things - games every four days, the Champions League as well, which is a great challenge for me and the club, and a very young team with potential.”
Mertesacker, who has started all five of Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League fixtures since his deadline day move from Bremen, is unconcerned that he has joined the club at a time when they are struggling to reach the heights of previous seasons.
“I want to be part of this club; that was one my main reasons for coming here,” the defender said. “We have to do it in as quick and short a time as possible.
“We have good players who are not in the team and are on their way to fitness. When everybody gets fit we will have a great team. Until that day, everybody has to improve and adapt very quickly to this league and to London.
“We want to go through the Champions League; we want to go up the Premier League. We have great targets to come.”
Mertesacker has followed the path trodden by Jens Lehmann from the Bundesliga to Arsenal and admitted he spoke regularly to the goalkeeper about the club during their time together with the Germany national team.
He explained: “I got some advice from Jens. He was my goalkeeper since the 2006 World Cup. He gave me a lot of advice about the game in England. Living in London is very different to living in a little town in Germany. I got a lot of advice from Mikael Silvestre, who I played with last year.
“The Premier League is more intense, quicker and very physical. I have had to get used to it very quickly. Hopefully I will in the next few weeks.”
Next on the horizon for Mertesacker is Sunday’s mouthwatering north London derby against resurgent rivals Tottenham.
He continued: “A lot of people have been telling me about it, how massive it is and what a special experience. I am looking forward to it. It is an especially important game for Arsenal and for me. There is nothing similar in Germany. You cannot compare Bremen against Hamburg because they are not quite in the same city, so the London derby is bigger.
“In Germany I already know everything, I know every stadium. In a new league everything is different and new to me. Some players said a lot of things which I have to do on Sunday. I have to do this experience on my own.”
Mertesacker’s direct opponent at White Hart Lane is likely to be Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who has scored three goals in three games at the start of his season-long loan spell.
“He is tall but very quick in his movement and scores a lot of goals at Tottenham, Arsenal and Real Madrid,” said Mertesacker. “He is a fantastic striker and you have to be careful
- Arsenal are facing a transfer showdown with Real Madrid for Lille star Eden Hazard.
But Real Madrid director of football Zinedine Zidane has also put Hazard at the top of his hit-list - and is going all out to convince him to move to the Bernabeu next summer.
Wenger, who has tracked Hazard for two years, had an enquiry knocked back for him this summer but is hoping to approach Lille again.
- Arsenal are ready to pounce for forgotten Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero.
With no sign of his playing chances improving, Granero is likely to ask away when the transfer window reopens.
Admired by Arsenal chief scout Steve Rowley, Granero's style of play would fit perfectly in manager Arsene Wenger's system and he is under consideration as the Frenchman prepares to strengthen his midfield options.
- Hertha Berlin attacking midfielder Raffael is being watched by Arsenal.
Raffael is under consideration by Wenger after losing Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer market and Jack Wilshere to injury.
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