The landscape of the Arsenal squad is very different compared to their last Premier League game against Sheffield United on October 4.
Nine days later, and the signing of Thomas Partey has been completed, both Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira have departed on loan, Mesut Ozil and Sokratis were left out of the side’s Europa League squad and, of course, there was the international break.
Returning to action against Manchester City on Saturday [October 17], time is a luxury Mikel Arteta will no longer have. After the trip to Manchester, Arsenal begin their Europa League campaign in midweek at Rapid Vienna, signalling the start of a three-week stretch with six games to play.
While this gives Arteta and his players a shortage of time, the Europa League will give players who could fall out of favour a chance to prove themselves. Following Arsenal’s transfer activity, football.london assess which players will have the biggest points to prove when football returns.
![[FILE] Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) runs with the ball as Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel closes in during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/000_97B779-scaled-e1703231851386-120x86.jpg "Liverpool host Arsenal in battle for Premier League Christmas No. 1 3")
Willian
Signed on a free transfer this summer, Willian wasn’t going to arrive and solve all Arsenal’s issues. The major pull was his experience and the impact he would have on the younger players in the squad that are in his position, driving them to improve even more than they would have done without the extra competition.
With Willian starting all four Premier League games so far, that effect has already begun taking place with Nicolas Pepe in particular.
Arriving as the club’s record signing last summer, many would have assumed he’d be the man relied upon from the start of the season but that hasn’t been the case. In the Premier League, he has had to settle for appearances off the bench, while his only starts have come in the Carabao Cup. Starved of starts, however, Pepe has displayed the hunger Arteta would have wanted to see in these cameos.
In doing so, however, Pepe has outshone Willian. The Brazilian was impressive on his debut at Fulham, making three assists and causing problems across the pitch. Since then, however, he’s struggled to have as big an impact on games from the right wing. The 32-year-old has looked promising when drifting into more central areas but for large parts of his first four outings, he has been too passive.
Should he be trusted to start again after the winter break, he must take the initiative during Arsenal attacks. If not, it won’t be long before Pepe comes to take his place in the starting lineup.
Mohamed Elneny
Of the current squad, Mohamed Elneny is the player under the biggest threat following Arsenal’s transfer activity. Signing Partey will signify a transformation of the current midfield as he arrives as a completely different type to those already at the club.
With that, could potentially come a change of shape but even more so, if that is not the case, Elneny can expect his minutes to drop significantly. So far this season, he has started five games and come off the bench once, with his influence diminishing with each passing appearance.
Upon returning from Besiktas, Elneny was a welcome addition to the midfield. Offering a mirror to Granit Xhaka, on right of the midfield, he was key to Arsenal’s build-up play while also providing assistance for the press and a shield for the back three. As the weeks have gone on, however, the 28-year-old has become increasingly passive, exemplified by his performance against Sheffield United.
Partey’s arrival most likely means Elneny dropping to the bench in the Premier League, but having proven he can function in an Arteta midfield, there could still be room for him – especially if there is a switch to a 4-3-3. He would be most suited to the central anchor role, allowing Xhaka to keep his position on the left and Partey on the right as the more box-to-box option.
For this to be a possibility, however, performances will need to improve quickly.
Dani Ceballos
The inclusion of Dani Ceballos may be a surprise but, as Elneny’s early season presence proves, he isn’t going to walk into the side simply because of his impressive second half to last season.
Looking at pure midfield talent, Ceballos is superior to Elneny, but especially if Arteta decides to keep the 3-4-3 system in use, he could be in trouble once again. Adamant that he wanted to return to Arsenal on loan this season, the 24-year-old appeared as if he would play a key role in the midfield.
If a double pivot remains the preferred setup for Arteta, however, rather than playing deputy to Elneny, it’s likely the Spaniard would be backup to Partey. Similar to his Egyptian team-mate, Ceballos would fare much better if the potential shape change Arteta has alluded to is to a three-man midfield as he would offer more balance in attack alongside Xhaka and Partey than Elneny.
Leading up to the international break, he showed flashes of his attacking influence for the side. Against West Ham and Liverpool, he was Arsenal’s main attacking force, finding a winner against the Hammers and what should have been an equaliser at Anfield. Sheffield United was a display of how he can dictate from deep and could be considered as some of his best football of the season so far.
Now is time to build on that and prove to Arteta again just how important he is to the Arsenal midfield to drive the side forward this season.
Sead Kolasinac
Failing to move Sead Kolasinac on to Bayer Leverkusen before the deadline, Arsenal will have to find use for the 27-year-old for another few months at least.
Kieran Tierney’s impending absence at Manchester City could offer him a ray of hope, but unable to consistently impress with his past chances, Kolasinac’s Arsenal future looks bleak. While the Europa League may offer an opportunity to prove a point at Arsenal, it could also provide a chance to prove himself to potential buyers in January.
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