Football

Premier League team introductions: Arsenal hungry for league title, with new signings Arteta has a clear plan

Last season, Arsenal almost went for the league title, they did very well for most of the season, but the end of the season was not good at all for the Gunners, so they had to settle for second place. However, it was a success for Mikel Arteta’s side as they qualified for the Champions League after a long time.

Published

11 months ago

8. 8. 2023

Lukáš Matoušek

Goalkeepers

Recently, there has been speculation about the arrival of David Raya from Brentford, who is expected to compete with Aaron Ramsdale for the number one spot. The transfer hasn’t happened yet, so the English goalkeeper remains the first choice for Mikel Arteta, as he was last season.

Ramsdale has shown that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. In last season’s matches, he made a number of excellent saves which often saved Arsenal’s points. However, at times he made a big mistake and his crossing is not among the best, so he could use more competition in the team’s goal.

The number two cannonballer is American Matt Turner, who is the clear number one in the USA goal, but he has not been able to fully assert himself in the Gunners jersey. The substitute goalkeeper for the upcoming season will still be the offspring of Arthur Okonkwo.

Defenders

William Saliba and Gabriel will be the main stopper pairing just like last year. The French-Brazilian duo played most of their games together last season and provided Arsenal with some security at the back. However, Saliba was injured late in the season and Gabriel was more often at fault without him.

A new addition to the defensive ranks was Jurriën Timber, who transferred from Ajax. This defensive all-rounder can play at stopper, but also on both ends of the pitch. Arteta has used him in all positions in preparation.

Ben White was the most frequent player on the right side last season, filling in for the injured Tahemiro Tomiyasu. The left side of the pitch will belong to Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney will cover his back.

Jakub Kiwior or Nuno Tavares will definitely wait for their chance to show the fans. Rob Holding and Cedric are speculated to leave Arsenal.

Midfielders

One of the biggest transfers of the summer came on the West Ham – Arsenal route, with Declan Rice heading to the north London side as the most expensive Englishman of all time. Thomas Partey and captain Martin Odegaard are expected to feature alongside him in the starting line-up.

Granit Xhaka, one of the pillars of the midfield, has headed to Germany from Arsenal, so Jorginho or Mohammed Elneny, returning from injury, could get more space in his position.

Emile Smith Rowe is one of the players who is still waiting for a bigger chance from Mikel Arteta, however, Fabio Vieira or new arrival Kai Havertz, who strengthened the Gunners after moving from Chelsea, can play in his position besides Odegaard. However, the German can also play in attack or on the wing.

However, the flanks of the pitch belong to other players. On the right will be the skilful Bukayo Saka and on the left Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard will fight for a place in the starting eleven. Reiss Nelson and Marquinhos are also fighting for minutes in training.

One-time record signing Nicolas Pepe has failed to properly convince Arteta that he deserves to wear the Arsenal jersey. He spent last season on loan in France and hasn’t been with the team this season, so his departure is expected.

Strikers

The main attacking weapon of the Gunners was supposed to be Gabriel Jesus, but he was injured before the start of the season. The Brazilian is expected to miss a few weeks, so either Havertz or Eddie Nketiah is expected to start at the shooting guard position.

Young Folarin Balogun impressed on loan in France, but Arteta doesn’t consider him as the first choice at the spearhead, so the striker has asked to leave. Arsenal would like to send him on loan, however the player is demanding a permanent transfer.