Arsenal's Pre-Season Preparation: Key Players and Challenges
Arsenal’s summer is already running hot, but the real noise starts next week.
Mikel Arteta has had a stripped-back group to work with at the Sobha Realty Training Centre since Monday’s official return, after a week of groundwork in Marbella. The early sessions have been about those who did not touch the World Cup – and those fighting to prove they belong when the stars walk back through the door.
Fringe faces, fresh chances
Ethan Nwaneri, Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira are among the returning loanees trying to change their standing in Arteta’s plans. They have been joined by Cristhian Mosquera, who senses a rare opening: with William Saliba sidelined for the next few months, there is a vacancy in central defence and he wants his name at the front of the queue.
Illan Meslier has slipped straight into life with his new team-mates after his summer move, while youngsters Marli Salmon and Max Dowman have been drafted into the main group, getting an early taste of the standards demanded.
Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Jesus have all featured, as has Ben White. The right-back missed the closing weeks of last season with a knee injury, but his recovery has been timed to perfection. He trained in Marbella, has been involved at London Colney this week, and looks on course to be ready when the serious work begins.
Jurrien Timber is back around the squad as well. The Dutchman has not yet made a full return after minor groin surgery, but his presence on the grass is a welcome sight for a manager who spent most of last season without him.
Countdown to Girona – and the World Cup brigade
Arsenal’s first official pre-season fixture arrives on August 1 against Girona. By then, the picture will look very different.
World Cup players are guaranteed a minimum of three weeks off, and after the relentless schedule of last season the club may yet extend that for some. Even so, the first wave is due any day now.
Kai Havertz is expected back in the coming days after Germany’s exit at the round-of-32 stage. He has not been idle, keeping sharp by training at former club Bayer Leverkusen this week.
Piero Hincapie and Viktor Gyokeres have now completed their three-week breaks and should report back next week. Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli, who went slightly deeper into the tournament with Brazil, are also set to return at the start of next week and are likely to be on the plane to Spain.
That Girona match will arrive too soon for Martin Odegaard. The Arsenal captain reached the quarter-finals with Norway, losing to England on July 11. His three-week rest period means he will only be available to train again in the week commencing August 3.
Arsenal head to Dublin to face Real Betis two days after Odegaard is due back, then host Borussia Dortmund and Como in quick succession. The schedule is tight. The margins are thinner still.
Eleven days to be ready
Eight Arsenal players went all the way to the final weekend of the World Cup. Their pre-season will be brutally short.
August 10 is the earliest those players can return to training, a mere six days before the Community Shield clash with Manchester City. From there, they will have just 11 days to build the fitness required for the Premier League opener, when Coventry visit the Emirates on August 21.
Some, at least, should hit the ground running. David Raya and Martin Zubimendi barely played across the summer and will report back with minimal mileage in their legs. Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino saw more action but did not shoulder a heavy load either.
The real tension lies elsewhere.
The Rice and Saka dilemma
Two names sit in bold on Arteta’s pre-season whiteboard: Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
Rice has been managing neural pain in his hamstring for more than six months. He also battled sickness during the World Cup, grinding through a tournament that never allowed him to fully open his stride. Arsenal know how central he is to their structure, but they also know another year of overuse could carry a heavy price.
Saka’s situation is just as delicate. Thomas Tuchel held him back for long spells at the World Cup, later revealing the winger was still playing through an Achilles problem. Even when he did feature, he was not at full throttle.
Both will be assessed on their return to London. The club’s medical and performance staff must decide whether to throw them straight back into the build-up or draw a hard line and prioritise complete recovery.
Arsenal’s season could hinge on that call.
