Arsenal new boy Santi Cazorla has expressed his joy at making his Premier League debut but told his new club they must fill the void left by Robin van Persie and Alex Song.

New strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud were unable to provide the firepower that Van Persie delivered last season as Arsenal opened the campaign with a goalless draw with Sunderland.

Cazorla is confident Arsenal will improve but says it is a shame that both Van Persie and Song left the club.

He told the Daily Mirror: 'It’s clear that Van Persie is a great player and obviously we would all have preferred it if he had stayed. Song has gone as well and there are still 10 days left in the transfer market.

 'I do not know if we will sign anyone but obviously it’s important to replace players like that because they were so important for the team.'

While Arsenal did not get the victory they were looking for against the Black Cats, Cazorla caught the eye with an impressive performance in his first appearance since arriving from Malaga.

He added: 'It felt really good making my debut. Of course, it was not the result any of us wanted, but we had chances and we did well.

'It’s a long season, so we can build on this. I had one chance and so did a few of my colleagues and that was the key to the game. We had complete control but that final step just eluded us.’