ARSENE Wenger has compared Samir Nasri to Arsenal legend Robert Pires after seeing the young Frenchman put in an impressive league debut performance which was capped with a goal.

Nasri scored the only goal of the game against a spirited West Brom side and while the Gunners lacked fluency, the 21-year-old was one of the few highlights of the match.

Wenger has clearly been taken with the young attacker, even daring to suggest that he could have a similar effect to two of the club's greatest ever wingers, Marc Overmars and Robert Pires after sticking to his guns and bringing him to the Emirates.

"He had a bad last season at Marseille because he had meningitis and spent two weeks in hospital," said Wenger.

"The year before, everyone wanted him, but sometimes you have to be brave enough when everyone else says he is not good.

"He had made an impression that I kept with me. I had seen things in him and I had to go with my beliefs.

"Marc Overmars was in a similar situation before he came to Arsenal and, hopefully, Nasri can have the same impact here.

"There is a bit of Robert Pires in him as he is able to change direction very easily.

"He is smaller than Pires but gets stuck in more, which is not difficult as Robert's strength was never his tackling, it was the intelligence of his game."