Arsenla may have to start their Premier League campaign against Wolves without some of the Euro 2024 finalists.
The addition of Kai Havertz after Euro 2024 and Brazilians Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli after Copa America have strengthened Arsenal’s roster for their preseason tour of the United States.
Riccardo Calafiori, whose £38 million deal from Bologna is expected to be finalized, will join Mikel Arteta’s group, significantly strengthening it.
With three weeks left until the Premier League season begins, that will be a significant boost for Arsenal.
Still missing, though, are five players. The English players Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka are still vacationing despite having advanced to the Euro 2024 final. David Raya, the Spanish team’s Euro 2024 winner, is still not included in the Gunners roster.
Additionally absent from the group is Wiliam Saliba, whose France team was eliminated in the semifinals.
On Sunday, July 14, the Euro 2024 final was held. Premier League players were supposed to enjoy a three-week break before returning home for domestic duty after concluding their international duties.
Naturally, the players have the option to shorten that period in order to get ready for the upcoming season, but it appears that the quartet will be using full three weeks at their disposal. As far as football.london is aware, none of them will be traveling to the United States to take part in the trip.
It is likely that they will return to London Colney on Monday, August 5, which is just 12 days before Arsenal’s Premier League season opener against Wolves in 2024–25.
Looking back, England made it to the final of Euro 2020—which was moved to 2021 owing to COVID-19—but lost to Italy on penalties.
Saka, who was a member of that Three Lions team, would have returned to Arsenal’s training approximately eleven days prior to the start of the league season.
Saka did not participate much in preseason training, therefore his only game that season was as a substitute for Brentford in Arsenal’s first fixture.
Saka did enter the game for the final 30 minutes, but if Michael Arteta follows a similar strategy this year, he will be missing some important players when Wolves visit.
Saliba may return to training a little before Raya, Ramsdale, Rice, and Saka after departing Euro 2024 a few days earlier. It’s possible that he will be visiting London Colney on August 1st, the day the US team of the Gunners returns home.
But if the English and Spanish contingent did not start, how would Arteta’s strongest XI vs Wolves look? football.london examines this.
Goalkeeper
The first problem is in between the sticks, with both Raya and Ramsdale absent. Neither played any minutes in Euro 2024, so are well rested in that regard, but would not have been up to speed with Arteta’s Arsenal plans in less than two weeks.
That could see Karl Hein taking up his place for his Premier League debut.
Defence
Ben White’s absence from England duty means he will start at right-back and with Saliba potentially available, he can maintain his impressive patnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.
What happens at left-back will be interesting, with Jurrien Timber now available and Riccardo Calafiori having been signed.
Midfield
Without Rice, Arteta will likely call on Thomas Partey and Jorginho to sit in the midfield three, with Martin Odegaard running the show ahead of them.
Fabio Vieira could also play in there, while if Gabriel Jesus were to lead the line, Arteta could opt to go a bit more attackiong in the midfield three and put Kai Havertz in there.
Attack
With no Saka, Leandro Trossard, so often called upon from the substitutes’ bench, could be in line for a start in a wide berth with Gabriel Martinelli on theother flank.
Up front you would have Jesus, or, if Arteta prefers Havertz, Jesus can be shifted out wide, with Trossard back on the bench, proabbly alongside the Euro 2024 stars.
Strongest Arsenal XI: Hein; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Jorginho, Partey, Odegaard; Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli.
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrate after the team’s victory during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 28, 2024 in London, England.
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