It’s less than 2 months before another season kicks off and with the fixtures now announced, we wanted to take a look at the possible team Arsenal could put out against Manchester City, if the transfer speculation is true.
GK – Bernd Leno
You may be wondering who Leno is. Well, he’s a 26-year-old keeper from Bayer Leverkusen who is reportedly set to join Arsenal. Leno is highly rated by Sven Mislintat, with the Arsenal head of recruitment thought to be influential in arranging this move. Should he sign for a reported £22million, I would expect him to be number 1 and be ahead of Cech.
RB – Stephan Lichtsteiner
Bellerin is not with the Spain squad so he will be fresh, but I get the feeling that if Switzerland do not go far in Russia, Emery will go for the experience and tactical discipline of Lichtsteiner against Manchester City.
CB – Sokratis Papastathopoulos
CB – Çağlar Söyüncü
Arsenal are said to be closing in on a deal for Soyuncu, with reports suggesting the player has agreed to the move. If he does join, it will likely be for a significant fee. The 22-year-old is highly rated in Europe and I would expect him to come into the starting line up, particularly because Turkey have had the summer off. Capped by Turkey 15 times already, he is regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe and has been identified by Sven Mislintat, and it is believed that Emery approves of the signing. Standing at 6ft 2′, he is a physical defender but also someone who is comfortable on the ball. With Koscielny injured, Mustafi and Chambers futures in doubt and Mertesacker retired, should Soyuncu sign, I expect him to start this game.
LB – Sead Kolasinac
With Spain likely to reach the latter stages and Monreal in the squad, I expect Kolasinac to get the nod for this one, he will have to improve defensively under Emery, though.
CM – Lucas Torreira
Torreira is a signing that is set to be completed and I’m sure he’ll come straight into the starting eleven. He’s got the energy to get the best out of Xhaka and has been described by some as a mixture of Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin mixed together – that’s exactly what we need alongside Xhaka and it will help give our defence more cover.
CM – Granit Xhaka
RAM – Mesut Ozil
CAM – Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey will hopefully sign a new contract soon and then become a key member of Emery’s team. It is thought that Unai rates him very highly and wants to build the team around the Welshman. He’s an energetic midfielder who can give the team a lot and help spread the new work ethic across the team, perhaps even with the captain’s armband?
LAM – Henrikh Mkhitaryan
ST – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Whilst Lacazette and Aubameyang could play together under Emery, I feel he will only opt with Aubameyang for such a tough opening fixture. Selecting just one striker will give the Gunners more energy and balance – something Emery will be keen to show from an early stage at the club.