Arsenal's USA pre-season tour squad has been boosted by Brazilians Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli joining up following the conclusion of Copa America, as well as Kai Havertz arriving after Euro 2024.
Mikel Arteta's group will be further strengthened by Riccardo Calafiori arriving, with his £38milion move from Bologna set to be confirmed. That will be a major boost for Arsenal with the Premier League season three weeks away now.
However, five players are still absent. Having reach the final of Euro 2024, England stars Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Aaron Ramsdale are still on their holidays. Euro 2024 winner with Spain David Raya is also still away from the Gunners squad. Wiliam Saliba, whose France team were knocked out in the semi-finals, is also still away from the group.
The Euro 2024 final took place on Sunday, July 14, with Premier League players expected to take three weeks off between finishing up with their international teams and reporting back for domestic duty.
The players can, of course, decide to cut short that time, in order to prepare for the new season, but it looks as if the quartet will be taking all three weeks available to them. football.london understands none of them will be flying out to the USA to join up on the tour.
That means the likelihood is they will report back to London Colney on Monday, August 5 - just 12 days before Arsenal's opening game of the 2024/25 Premier League season against Wolves.
Looking back to Euro 2020, which took place in 2021 due to Covid-19, England got to the final that year too, losing out to Italy on penalties. Saka was a part of that Three Lions squad and would have returned to Arsenal training around 11 days before the start of the new Premier League season. Arsenal's first game that year was against Brentford and Saka was only named on the bench, having not taken much part in pre-season trianing.
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Saka did come on for the last half an hour of the match, but if MIkel Arteta takes a similar approach this year, he will be without some key stars for the visit of Wolves.
Having left Euro 2024 a few days earlier, Saliba could be back in training slightly before Raya, Ramsdale, Rice and Saka, with the potential that he could be returning to London Colney on August 1, when the Gunners' US squad returns home.
But what would Arteta's strongest XI look lilke aganst Wolves if the English and Spanish contingent were not to start? football.london takes a look.
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.
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