Newcastle’s New Midfielder Welcomes Comparisons to Arsenal Legend

Newcastle United's latest acquisition Moussa Sissoko has admitted how pleased he is to be compared with Arsenal legend Patrick Viera as he stated his plans to be even more successful than his French counterpart.

Sissoko became Newcastle's fifth French player to join during the January transfer window and there is a genuine feeling that he may very well be the most talented of the bunch.

The 23-year-old signed a six-and-a-half year deal with Alan Pardew's side and will be hoping to quickly establish himself in the heart of midfield, much in the same way that Viera did for Arsenal when he first arrived in the Premier League.

Viera is considered one of the best ever Frenchman to play in England and Sissoko believes that the comparisons are fair.

"Yes. I am not going to say no. Patrick had a fantastic career here in England and if I can replicate that then it would be absolutely fantastic for me," the former Toulouse midfielder told the Sunday Sun.

"And why not even try to go one better if I could? Obviously, it is a pleasure to be compared to someone of his ilk. But Vieira is Vieira. I am Sissoko. We are two different players. I will go out to play my own game.

"I have set myself high objectives and I will give my best to get Newcastle out of this situation, finish as high as possible, and do as well as I possibly can for the club."

Viera ended up staying at Arsenal for nine seasons before returning to Italy where he continued to excel at Juventus and then Internazionale. A short spell at Manchester City also confirmed his status as one of the best midfielders to ever grace the Premier League.

Sissoko will be hoping that he can help transform Newcastle's season as they desperately battle to avoid the drop after a first half of the season to forget.

The France international joins the club sitting just two points clear of the relegation zone and will be hoping to make an instant impact in Tuesday night's game against fellow struggles Aston Villa.