His winning goal in Tuesday’s Carling Cup game has manager Arsene Wenger ready to unleash him on EPL defenders, the BBC reports.
“He had a very, very good game.” Wenger said about the South Korean striker. “His movement was exceptional and his finishing is absolutely fantastic. He is ready to play in league games.”
Park joined Arsenal from French club Monaco at the close of the summer transfer window. Tuesday saw him make only his second appearance since his £2.6 million ($4.2 million) move. His well-taken goal showed that his sharpness is reaching the level required for Wenger entrust him in upcoming league games.
“Compared to the player who played in the first match [against Shrewsbury] where he was a bit inhibited, [Tuesday] I felt he played with freedom and has showed what a good player he is.”
Club captain Robin Van Persie is in unstoppable form at the moment, and it is unlikely Park will break into the starting 11. However, he may have overtaken Marouane Chamakh in Wenger’s pecking order of strikers.
The Gunners are looking like a new team after a disastrous start to the season saw them win just two of seven league games. As new players like Park integrate themselves into the team, results have improved in recent weeks. Four wins (from four games) in the last 10 days have brought a measure of good feeling back to the Emirates Stadium.
“We want to just keep going and I think it is down to us to change the mind of people,” Wenger added. “We have a good spirit, a good attitude and there is still some room for improvement of course. We are getting better and better.”
The new-look Arsenal faces its stiffest test of the season, when it travels to Chelsea on Saturday. A win would propel Arsenal into this next phase of the 2011-12 campaign.
The following eight games bring ample opportunity for the Gunners to make up ground on the early EPL leaders. By mid-December, Arsenal could have more than an outside shot at a top-four finish, which most supporters would accept after the poor start.
