While Gunners fans may well have been hoping for more than just the two confirmed signings of David Raya and Calafiori, there is still much excitement at hand as Mikel Arteta once again launches his bid for Arsenal to become the next Premier League champions.
With Calafiori in the squad, it is the central defence and left-back positions that face the most amount of competition. This has been made more intense by the returning presence of the long-term injury absentee Jurrien Timber who Mikel Arteta has since confirmed will be available and is back training.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, the Gunners boss said of the Dutch defender: “Obviously he had a really tough period but he used it in a great way.
“He managed to get a lot of things done and improve in many areas that, except for playing, he found really, really helpful. He’s been doing some individual work. It’s clear now. We expect him to be ready to train with the group because he has no reactions. So quite positive.”
However, given the distinct lack of recent game time, Timber may have to settle for a place on bench, as will Takehiro Tomiyasu who is out of action through a knee injury. Both Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) are confirmed absentees and it is said to be a ‘few weeks’ until their return.
The left-back role is now open to either Oleksandr Zinchenko or new boy Calafiori. While the former has been impressive in the two most recent pre-season training matches, Arteta may well favour the Italian 22-year-old who not only was a star figure in Bologna’s 2022/23 season, but also put on several phenomenal displays at this summer’s European Championships.
The midfield and forward roles currently write themselves with the only potential question mark surrounding whether the Gunners boss opts for Jorginho and Thomas Partey in defensive midfield position. It was the latter that started against Lyon in Sunday’s pre-season friendly thus indicating this could be how Arteta wishes to begin his 2024/25 campaign. Fabio Vieira marks the only other doubt to the squad as he recovers from a hip injury. LondonWorld’s predicted line-up:
David Raya (GK), Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel, William Saliba, Ben White, Martin Odegaard (C), Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard
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