Marouane Chamakh Fitting in with Arsenal

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

French-Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh has only played four games for his new soccer team, Arsenal, in the English Premier League. But his manager, fellow Frenchman Arsene Wenger, as well as his  teammates, have stressed the importance of having him on the squad, and have been pleasantly surprised as to how quickly and smoothly Chamakh has assimilated into the team.

Fellow Frenchman and fellow Muslim Bacary Sagna told French newspapers, “He has improved already. When he arrived here he was a bit, well, not scared, but he certainly needed time to settle. That’s happened already and he has found his feet. It’s so important for the team to have a player like him up front. He can keep the ball well and he just wants to play, give his best and work for the team. He’ll get better results with each game he plays. For the team he will be very important. He will become a great player for Arsenal.”

Chamakh was born and raised in France, but he chose to play international football for his parents’ homeland, Morocco. He made his international debut for Morocco in July of 2003, and has played in three African Cup of Nations tournaments. And he is currently the captain of the Moroccan national team. Professionally, he began his career with Bordeaux in the French league in 2000. He made it to their professional team in the 2002-2003 season, and displayed gradual improvement before signing a four year contract with Arsenal in May of 2010 on a free transfer.

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