Cesc Fabregas picks out four Arsenal stars that have made difference this season

Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, now in charge of Italian side Como, has offered his assessment of Mikel Arteta's hungry Premier League leaders

Cesc Fabregas has shared his admiration for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side as he continues to make strides in his own managerial career with Como.

The former Spanish midfielder, who racked up over 300 appearances for the Gunners during his time in north London, has paid tribute to Arteta's backline after they kept their eighth successive clean sheet in all competitions.

He said in comments that have been relayed by Calciomercato: “I see a very well-prepared team to face many competitions this year. I see a very structured team, with experience and a lot of quality."

Four stars in particular, three of which are new signings, were also picked out by Fabregas for taking Arsenal to a whole new level this term.

The 38-year-old continued: “They’ve strengthened really well. [Martin] Odegaard is out now, but we have [Eberechi] Eze, [Cristian] Mosquera in defence, [Piero] Hincapie, and [Riccardo] Calafiori, who is returning in good form. Little by little, I’m seeing a team that can make an impact.”

Arsenal can become the first ever English side in history to win nine successive matches in all competitions without conceding a goal at Sunderland on Saturday.

Fabregas appears to be taking inspiration from Arteta because his team, Como, have the second-best defence in all of Serie A this season.

His side have only lost once in the league and incredibly, that is one defeat less than champions Napoli, who currently lead the table with 21 points from 10 matches.

Arsenal have comfortably the tightest defence in the Premier League this season having conceded just three goals.

When asked if his players have received enough credit for their efforts, Arteta said on Friday ahead of the trip to Sunderland: "It's not about credit, it's about doing it and once you've done it, do it again and that's what we have to do.

"Today we train at our best, try to improve, try to give a lot of clarity to the players and understanding of the game that we have to play tomorrow, and tomorrow is execution day again."

Arsenal are also yet to concede in the Champions League, winning all four of their league phase fixtures, while they have also kept consecutive clean sheets against Port Vale and Brighton in the EFL Cup.

Assistant coach Gabriel Heinze, recruited in the summer by former PSG team-mate Arteta, has had a huge hand in Arsenal's defensive solidity.