Arsenal begin their unofficial start to the defence of their Premier League crown with their first pre-season game next weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s side are ramping up their preparations for the new season with trips to Girona and Dublin before returning to London.
The Gunners had 15 players at the World Cup this summer, which means that several key players won’t be back in training for weeks.
However, their absence presents other fringe players with the opportunity to impress Arteta at the start of pre-season.
The Spaniard has largely kept the same squad intact in recent years, but this summer promises to be a potentially dramatic shake-up.
Arsenal transfer latest
Arsenal have already agreed a deal to sign Christos Tzolis in a deal worth £34million, with Leandro Trossard exiting to Besiktas.
The Gunners have since missed out on top target Morgan Rogers after he instead sealed a record-breaking £117m deal to Chelsea.
The club remain keen to sign Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, though the two clubs differ regarding the Brazilian’s valuation.
Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez is another player that is admired, while France winger Bradley Barcola has also been linked.
But it promises to be just as big a summer for some players already in the building – with some facing a fight to prove their worth.
The following names do not include the likes of Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson, who seemingly already know that their futures lie elsewhere.
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The future of Ethan Nwaneri
Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for a Premier League title, but it was a hugely frustrating season for one of their Hale End success stories.
Just a year before, Nwaneri was being compared to Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal, with talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham even going so far as to say it is a ‘sackable offence’ for Thomas Tuchel not to pick the teenager in his first England squad in March 2025.
Yet Nwaneri made only four starts across 12 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions last season before he was loaned out.
The 19-year-old joined Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille for the second half of the campaign and scored just 13 minutes into his debut.
Yet he found himself out of the team after the now-Tottenham boss left his role as head coach, and Nwaneri was an unused substitute in five of the club’s final six Ligue 1 games of the 2025-26 season.
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Arsenal’s No.22 trained with the England squad in the United States ahead of the World Cup and is now back in pre-season training.
European football expert Andy Brassell expects the Arsenal style to evolve a little bit from last season – which could mean bad news for Nwaneri, with the club eyeing Morocco’s teen star Ayyoub Bouaddi.
He told talkSPORT.com: “What do they do with Ethan Nwaneri? Do they bring him back?
“Do they send him out on loan again and hope he plays more than he did at Marseille, or do they decide to cash in and sell him?”
With Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke all having a delayed return following the World Cup, the start of pre-season will be a huge opportunity for Nwaneri.
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The rise, fall and rise again of Ben White?
Arsenal have confirmed that William Saliba will be out for an ‘extended period’ with a back injury.
On the opposite end of the scale, England defender White has recovered from his knee problem for the start of pre-season.
The 28-year-old picked up the issue during the Gunners’ Premier League win over West Ham in May, which ended his World Cup hopes.
White had been on a run that saw him start the last five matches in all competitions, which also saw him recalled by England in March.
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Eight injuries across the past two seasons saw the ex-Brighton defender miss 42 matches for Arsenal, leaving his future in doubt.
Now White, who only has two years left on his deal, can reclaim his place as a core part of Arteta’s backline with others’ fitness issues.
Saliba is sidelined for the foreseeable future, while first-choice right-back Jurrien Timber continues to struggle with a groin problem.
Arsenal have since been linked with moves for England pair John Stones and Ezri Konsa, the latter of whom can play both centrally and at right-back just as White can.
A strong start to pre-season for White may convince Arteta that an approach for Aston Villa’s Konsa isn’t what is needed right now.
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Taking the Vik
Unlike both Nwaneri and White, Viktor Gyokeres will start pre-season belatedly after spearheading Sweden’s run to the World Cup last-32.
The striker is arguably fighting for his future more than most, despite finishing as Arsenal’s top scorer in his first season at the club.
talkSPORT revealed Arsenal explored the possibility of offering Gyokeres as a makeweight during initial talks for Julian Alvarez.
Arteta made it clear who he sees as his first-choice striker in the Champions League final, with Kai Havertz tasked with leading the line.
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The German underwent two surgeries in seven months last year but scored three goals in four World Cup appearances for his country.
Gyokeres could even find himself third in the pecking order, now that World Cup winner Mikel Merino is also back fit and firing.
The Spaniard only returned from injury just before the tournament after fracturing his foot in January.
He then underlined his credentials in front of goal by scoring two late winners for La Roja en route to their run to glory.
