Arsene Wenger has named his 25 man UEFA Champions League squad, following the close of the transfer window.
On top of the 25-man squad, Wenger can choose some extra youth players on the ‘B’ list. To be included in the ‘B’ list of players, according to UEFA: “A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after 1 January 1994 and has been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday by the time he is registered with Uefa.” ‘B list’ players are available for selection in the same way as their ‘A list’ counterparts.
Notable inclusions include summer signing Jeff Reine-Adelaide, the 17 year old is very raw but Wenger is clearly a huge fan and due to the lack of signings, he may well be needed. Joel Campbell is also there, in a surprising turn of events that will see him get another chance at the club this summer. Alex Iwobi, who impressed in pre-season is amongst other youth players on the ‘B’ list.
Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League Squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Petr Cech, David Ospina, Matt Macey, Deyan Iliev (B)
Defenders: Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs, Per Mertesacker, Gabriel, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Calum Chambers, Hector Bellerin (B), Tafari Moore (B), Stefan O’Connor (B)
Midfielders: Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Mathieu Flamini, Francis Coquelin, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Glen Kamara (B)
Forwards: Joel Campbell, Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott, Alex Iwobi (B), Chris Willock (B)
Arsenal will hope the likes of Welbeck, Rosicky and Wilshere return to fitness as soon as possible so they can feature in the tournament.
If you have forgotten already, Arsenal were drawn in a group with Bayern Munich, Olympiacos and Dynamo Zagreb. Here’s all of the six fixtures:
16 September: Dinamo Zagreb (A)
29 September: Olympiacos (H)
20 October: Bayern Munich (H)
4 November: Bayern Munich (A)
24 November: Dinamo Zagreb (H)
9 December: Olympiacos (A)
The fixtures have thrown up some tricky combination of fixtures in the schedule for the Gunners. The first tricky spell comes between September 16 to September 29. Dinamo Zagreb away (16th) Chelsea away (19th), Tottenham Hotspur away (23rd – League Cup) and Leicester away (26th), then home to Olympiacos (29th). That’s 13 days which include four tricky away trips and a must win home game against Olympiacos.
Now read: Arsenal’s Champions League Fixtures In Full: 4 Tricky Away Games In 10 Days