Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla was thrilled with his first taste of the Premier League atmosphere on Saturday against Sunderland.

The Spain international was delighted with his debut, and says the Premier League is living up to the praise bestowed on it by some of his friends.

"I spoke to Juan Mata, [Fernando] Torres, Pepe Reina and Mikel Arteta," Cazorla told arsenal.com. "They all like it here and were really positive about me coming here.

"It's a great league and it's a different challenge. There's a great passion for football here and it's a wonderful place to play your football.

"My initial impressions are really good and I'm really happy to be here. Hopefully we can have a great season this year and with any luck I'll be able to help the team achieve great things."