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‘We can make Welbeck a better player’

Arsene Wenger has hailed new signing Danny Welbeck - and says he can become an even better player at Arsenal.

The England international completed a move from Manchester United on transfer deadline day, before scoring twice for the national team on Tuesday.

Wenger says that performance against Switzerland underlined Welbeck's quality and he is confident the 23-year-old can make an immediate impact at the club.

“Danny Welbeck is an ideal signing for us because he can play through the middle, which I think is his best position, but as well on the flanks,” he said.

"If you analyse in an objective way his qualities, I think he has the perfect style to play through the middle"

Arsene Wenger

“His qualities are his team attitude and his pace as well. As you could see with England, his goalscoring too. When you analyse his game you think he has the qualities to play through the middle.

“He was at Man United, where he had many big stars, and he is a player who is very versatile so he had to make room sometimes for players to play through the middle. But if you analyse in an objective way his qualities, I think he has the perfect style to play through the middle.

“He can make himself a better player [here] because I can help him. He's a young boy, he's not 24 yet and let's not forget that some players who arrived here at the age of 23 made huge careers here so I hope we can contribute and help him.”

Wenger was in Italy on transfer deadline day at a charity match, but he says that actually helped the Welbeck deal go through.

“If I had not travelled that day, Welbeck would not be here,” he said. “I'll explain that a bit later but the coincidence made that because I was on my way. If I had stayed at home, Welbeck would not be here today. That's the truth.

“We are in 2014 and you can always be in touch with everybody even when you travel. The advantage of that day was I had to get up at six o'clock in the morning and I was available the whole day.”

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