Arsenal pre-season Q&A with TLC's editor

Thank you so much for sending in so many questions. Here are the questions that made it to the starting XI, plus one sub!

1. Will Gabriel go to Juve?

Probably not - unless silly money is offered

2. Will Jesus propel Arsenal into the top four?

Yes, there’s a chance. Look how many goals Arsenal have scored in the pre-season: 5 v Ipswich & 5 v Nurnberg, 2 v Everton and 3 v Orlando.

3. Will Tierney & Tomiyasu ever be ever-presents?

Tomiyasu had more chance, as you’d like to think muscular problems heal. Tierney must be getting the best medical help available, so maybe there’s hope. He’s determination is there, but can his body keep recovering? I’m not sure.

4. Do pre-seasons mean anything?

Yes and no. No points, of course, but if you’re getting hammered in pre-season, it probably means the tin tack for the manager eg Frank Lampard.

5. Will Saliba sign a new deal? 

Not yet. I think he’ll make Arsenal sweat. Maybe he feels that he hasn’t been treated well by the club. After all, he missed a cup final two seasons ago. Then last season, he was going to be around, but no! Off he went to Marseille. 

However, he may actually start a lot of games if he stays, so I think he’ll stay, unless a monstrous offer comes in.

6. Will Saka sign a new deal?

I’d expect so unless something terrible happens during negotiations. I can’t imagine that Arsenal will mess Saka’s deal up but, then again, you never know.

7. Who’s off then?

Torreira almost definitely, Bellerin probably, but it wouldn’t totally surprise me if stayed. Nelson probably, but it’s hard to say. I think he wants to stay and, if so, maybe he will.

8. Who’s in then?

At this stage it’s a revolving door. With Zinchenko in, it could be curtains for Tavares, some say. However, it may be that Tavares is Zin’s back-up, as Tierney is perennially crocked.

Additionally, it looks like Teilemans might come in. Not quite sure why it’s taken so long, so that makes me think it will never happen, but these days nearly all transfers are protracted sagas, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.

If he comes in, there’s talk that Xhaka will leave. I can’t see it personally. He stayed when nearly everyone hated him, so why would he leave now that he feels the love. It doesn’t make sense, especially as Arteta rates him too. It’s taken most of us a long time to warm to him and his silly fouls and faux hard man approach, but in his old age he’s becoming slightly more reliable. Maybe he’s like a vintage wine, but I’m a bit worried he’ll turn into vinegar and leave us with a sour taste in our mouths. Even vinegar has its uses though: where would fish and chips be without it?

9. Is Thomas Partey good enough?

Yes, if he can steer clear of injuries. That’s a big if. So far, he’s not really managed it. On his day, he’s one of Arsenal’s best players, but have injuries wrecked him already? It’s hard to say, but I’m disappointed to see so many fans writing him off already. The end of the season will be the time to judge.

10. The captain: who will it be and will it be a good decision?

If it’s Odegaard, it’s a great decision. He’s not going to pick up silly yellow cards and he’ll lead by example. He’ll probably play every game as, dare I say it, he’s like Ozil for chance-creation, but he has Ray Parlour’s workrate. What’s not to love? At least, Arteta learned that Emery’s five captains idea was a dead duck. No more of that please!

11 Will the new Vieira thrive or will his match-stick frame splinter under the pressure of the Premier League. 

Well, I’m not saying he’s fragile, but arriving with a foot cast is not a good sign. I’m sure he’s got technical prowess, but we haven’t seen it yet. Stick insects can thrive in the Premier League, but if he has physical fragility, it’s going to get tested in the England, that’s for sure. No one takes prisoners: ask Eduardo! 

Anyway, let’s hope Vieira is more of a praying mantis than a stick insect!

12 Do Arsenal get enough protection from referees?

Have you got any more jokes? No! The red shirts cover the blood. If Arsenal changed to white or whiter than white or pure white, everyone would connote that with innocence. Maybe then Arsenal would get away with murder like a certain team that plays in white and not be considered a bunch of murderers, who deserve every foul they get. And Arsenal get fouled a lot, let’s face it! Even in friendlies! 

Arsenal’s 100% pre-season start continues

Despite all the 'bad' news circulating around Arsenal, such as Marcelo Flores being upset about being left out of the pre-season squad to tour America, Omari Hutchison's defection to Chelsea and Oleksandr Zinchenko's inclusion in Manchester City's pre-season squad, the 2-0 demolition of Everton gave fans something to cheer about.

The truth was that the second half was nowhere as good as the first, from an Arsenal perspective, yet never did the Gunners look like surrendering their two-goal advantage.

Player ratings:
Turner 7 - never looked likely to concede.
Cedric 8 - tidied up well at the back, when needed to.
(Bellerin 7 - looked quite sharp.)
Saliba 7 - mostly played it safe.
(Mari 6 - didn't make much impact.)
Gabriel 7 - quite solid.
(Walters 7 - the youngster has been well-coached, as he kept it simple.)
Tavares 6 - not at his best yet.
(Holding 7 - passed well in a back three in the second half.)
Partey 6 - not influential.
(Elneny 7 - dominated the midfield, in the second half.)
Xhaka 7 - a good shift and hit the post with a header from a corner.
(Sambi 6 - played down the left, but couldn't make much of an impact.)
Saka 7 - scored the second goal and was a handful for Everton.
(Pepe 6 - nearly got in a fight at the end of the game, so is clearly frustrated to be a squad player at best.)
Odegaard 6 - a quiet game for the skipper.
(Maitland-Niles 5 - I only noticed he was on the pitch when he hugged Everton's Iwobi, a former Arsenal team-mate, at the end.)
Martinelli 7 - gave Everton problems.
(Nelson 5 - couldn't impose himself on the game much in 18 minutes.)
Jesus 8 - one goal and one assist in 45 minutes, plus another good shot on target. Hopefully, he wasn't too badly injured by Godfrey's rash, OTT challenge.
(Nketiah 6 - faced a tougher defence in the second half with Tarkowski in the team.)

Injuries
Ben White (quad)
Emile Smith-Rowe (muscular)
Kieran Tierney (muscular)
Takehiro Tomiyasu (muscular)
Fabio Vieira (bone)

Midfielders - who’s in, who’s out @ Arsenal FC?

Returning to the contractual situations of the team, provided by The Athletic (theathletic.com), we now move onto midfield.

Granit Xhaka (2024)
Although Physsy calls Xhaka a 'faux hard man' on The Loose Cannon podcast (The Loose Cannon Podcast), there is no doubt that the Swiss had a solid season overall, when looking back over the last campaign.

Apparently, there is the option of extending his contract until 2025, so a bit like last season when Roma were knocking on his door, the former captain of Arsenal is going nowhere.
Verdict: STAY

Thomas Partey (2025)
Despite being the victim of a malicious and ill-founded rumour on the internet, Partey did indeed make the party of 33, who went on the pre-season tour of America.

On his day, there are few better but, like many others in the squad, he has been strangely injury-prone since arriving at Arsenal. I've added the word 'strangely', as he didn't have a reputation for being in the sick bay, prior to joining. It makes you wonder whether or not referees are giving Arsenal as much protection as they should. Maybe if the gun was changed to a cockerel and the colors to white and blue, referees would be kinder.
Verdict: STAY

Mohamed Elneny (2023)
You have to love the Egyptian, as he has always nailed his red and white colors firmly to the mast.

Meanwhile, his showing when called upon at the end of last season certainly merited a contract extension and, if he can produce the same form again, I would expect the club to take up the option of a further year to extend his stay until 2023.
Verdict: STAY

Albert Sambi Lokonga (2026)
The 22-year-old was signed for the long-term and Arsenal fans have seen glimpses of what he's capable.

No doubt, with European football returning to the Emirates Stadium, he will get more first-team opportunities in the forthcoming campaign.
Verdict: STAY

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (2023)
Although the 24-year-old's technical ability is not in question, it is not often that we've seen him grab a game by the scruff of the neck, even in his preferred central midfield position.

It's worth keeping hold of him as a utility player, but then he could leave on a free transfer next summer. Therefore, a permanent deal away seems the most likely scenario, following loans to Roma and WBA respectively.
Verdict: GO

Lucas Torreira (2023)
Despite being a fans' favourite, Arteta has never been keen on the 26-year-old, so it would be surprising to see the tenacious central midfielder stay at Arsenal.

Valencia appears to be a possible destination for the Uruguayan but, perhaps like Fiorentina, they will baulk at paying £15m.
Verdict: GO