The Spanish tactician returns to his former club on Sunday with the knowledge that Thomas Partey (groin) and Jurrien Timber (ACL) are the two senior players who are definitely unavailable for the trip to Goodison Park. Whether that number increases remains to be seen with the 16 international stars due back shortly.
Ideally, Arteta will have a near full-strength squad to select from against a Toffees side who lost both home games so far this season. Whatever the scenario is, there are plenty of discussion points surrounding Arsenal ahead of the Premier League's return and football.london has gone through them below.
Raya debut
It's exactly two years since Arteta made the bold choice of replacing Bernd Leno with Aaron Ramsdale as Arsenal went onto record their first clean sheet of the 2021/22 campaign by beating Norwich City 1-0. The situation is a little different coming out of this international break but the Gunners' current number one has come under pressure ever since the signing of David Raya.
So, could a repeat be on the cards with Ramsdale on the opposite side of a decision that he previously benefitted from? Well, it has been suggested. According to the reports, Raya could soon be handed a debut after impressing in training since his arrival. Whether it happens on Sunday remains to be seen but Arteta has made it clear that he wants competition for places in all positions.
Havertz to get the nod over Fabio Vieira
It feels as though the two positions that garner the most attention whenever an Arsenal starting line-up has been released this season are central defence and midfield as Arteta has used the opening four games to tinker with the system which has often come at the expense of Gabriel Magalhaes.But considering Everton pose a substantial aerial threat it would be a surprise if the Brazilian - assuming he's fit - doesn't start at Goodison Park. Further forward and in the absence of Partey it will be fascinating to see what the Gunners manager does in the engine room amid calls for Fabio Vieira to come in.
The playmaker made game-changing contributions as a substitute against both Fulham and Manchester United, so naturally the reward is to be upgraded to the starting line-up. After all, he will be one of the freshest members of the squad considering he wasn't selected by Portugal for international duty.
However, with a physical battle in midfield expected against Everton, Kai Havertz could get the nod alongside Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard. It might be an unpopular decision among some Arsenal fans as, admittedly, the £65million summer signing hasn't hit the ground running just yet, but he's probably better equipped than Vieira to ensure the Gunners aren't outfought at Goodison again and his height could be an advantage especially when defending set-pieces.
Worrying away record vs Everton
Goodison Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Arsenal in recent years. It's a totally different story when it's the reverse fixture with Arteta's side putting nine past Everton in the last two meetings, but there's such a contrast in results when it comes to travelling up north.
You have to go all the way back to October 2017 for the last time the Gunners recorded a victory in this fixture. Since then their record reads: P:5 W:0, D:1, L:4, F:2, A:6. What's even more of a concern is three of those defeats have come under Arteta as he's not had any joy when returning to his old stomping ground.
It's safe to say there's a real onus on Arsenal to put things right on Sunday and there's an argument that now is the perfect time to face Everton. In the relegation zone, without a league win and have lost both games at home so far this season. However, the corresponding fixture from last season proves otherwise.
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