The new Premier League season is now less than a month away and fans can look forward to seeing action back on their TV screens over the coming weeks, as sides jet off around the world to commence their pre-season fixtures- and Arsenal are set for their return to action on Thursday with a match down under against Sydney FC.
The Gunners jetted off yesterday for their pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, which includes fixtures in Beijing and Shanghai, with Arsene Wenger selecting a 25-man squad to feature in the four upcoming fixtures- and his choices have dropped a huge hint towards upcoming business for Arsenal, that’s likely to see the squad trimmed.
Fans will be excited to see new recruits Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette potentially make their debuts, whilst there’s a wealth of anticipating surrounding young players included in the squad; with the likes of Cohen Bramall, Donyell Malen, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock looking to make an impression.
However, there’s a number of notable absences that suggest we could see some major departures in the coming weeks as Arsenal have left Kieran Gibbs, Wojicech Szczesny, Lucas Perez, Mathieu Debuchy and Carl Jenkinson at home- with all of the players linked with potential exits away from North London this summer.
The exclusion of Debuchy and Jenkinson is hardly surprising, as the defensive pair have struggled to make an impression in recent seasons, whilst the absence of Lucas Perez comes after a year where the Spaniard failed to secure regular opportunities in the first-team, despite impressing during the openings he did get.
Szczesny’s potential exit may upset fans, as many believe he’s good enough to challenge for a spot in the team following two successful years on-loan with Roma, but it appears that the Gunners will stick with their goalkeeping choices from last season- with David Ospina making the squad for the tour despite being heavily linked with a move to Fenerbache.
The absence of Gibbs may be the biggest indication of a change in Arsenal’s scenery this summer as the left-back faces an uncertain future following the capture of Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer from Schalke, although Wenger previously hinted the England international could battle for a place on the flanks with Nacho Monreal playing centrally.
Newcastle United are amongst the sides expressing interest in Gibbs’ services and his exclusion suggests an exit could be forthcoming, although he could still feature in the Emirates Cup at the end of the month- potentially forcing his way back into the first-team reckoning.