Sports Evolve
Arsenal is set to play against Everton this weekend and their manager, Mikel Arteta, has several crucial choices to make post the January transfer period.
If Arsenal win against Everton, they will be eight points ahead of the leading team in the Premier League, with Manchester City playing against Tottenham on the following day.
This match is Arsenal’s first since the transfer window closed on Tuesday and their sporting director, Edu Gaspar, has secured deals for three new players.
Three new players have been added to the Arsenal squad. Leandro Trossard was acquired from Brighton & Hove Albion for £21m, Jakub Kiwior from Spezia, and Jorginho from Chelsea in a last-minute deadline day deal worth £12 million.
“Jorginho is an established professional with a strong mentality who brings quality and experience into our squad,” Edu said after the signing was announced. “He is a player who fits our style of play, and he joins us at a very good moment where he can contribute in a key position to help maintain our momentum. We welcome Jorginho to Arsenal.”
In January, several players also left the club, with Marquinhos, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Cedric Soares moving on loan to Norwich City, Crystal Palace, and Fulham respectively. Due to the changes in the squad since the last match against Manchester City, Arteta has some choices to make regarding his lineup for the game against Everton.
According to the team’s official website, Arsenal now has 24 senior players and most of them are available for the match against Sean Dyche’s side. For Premier League fixtures, Arteta can name a 20-player matchday squad, so he needs to leave four players behind in London.
We already know that Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny won’t be playing due to injuries, so Matt Turner will probably be the backup goalkeeper instead of Karl Hein.
There are still concerns over Emile Smith Rowe’s fitness and Arteta stated on Friday that the 22-year-old player is unlikely to participate in the match against Everton. Additionally, there are also uncertainties over Thomas Partey, who only played for 45 minutes against City.
“Let’s see,” Arteta said when asked if the Ghanaian will feature. “That one is still a doubt. Let’s see today how he comes and if he’s able to train or not. We will make a decision on that. He’s not ruled out and it’s nothing very significant, but it was significant enough to get him out of the game which for Thomas is a bit unusual but hopefully he’ll be fine.”
This suggests that the new players Trossard, Kiwior, and Jorginho will be a part of the Arsenal squad, and Matt Smith will be ready as backup if Partey does not recover from injury. It’s yet to be determined if Reiss Nelson will be among the substitutes after coming back from injury and returning to training this week.
