Arsenal captain Robin van Persie has credited their summer signings for their amazing form turnaround.

Van Persie has led the way with 16 goals in the top flight and even he has been shocked by the strength of Arsenal's response.

"Maybe a little bit," he told arsenal.com. "We had to get used to the new players [who signed at the end of August].

"I have to give lots of credit to Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen and Yossi Benayoun - great characters, really helpful in every area. When I need assistance, they are always helping me.

"Mikel, for example, played seven years at Everton, two years at Rangers and you can tell he's an experienced player. Yossi is similar, Per Mertesacker has played close to 80 times for Germany. They have really helped me."