Arsenal sign England international and £84m striker: Gunners' possible line up v Man Utd on opening day
Arsenal will play against Manchester United on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
The Premier League fixtures have been announced for the 2025/26 season, and Arsenal will start their campaign against rivals Manchester United on Sunday, 17 August at Old Trafford.
Mikel Arteta wants to sign a striker as his main priority heading into the season, and he will hope that a new number nine will line up at Old Trafford against the Red Devils with a chance to score on their debut.
Furthermore, Arteta wants a new winger too, and more reinforcements in midfield, especially considering that it seems as though Thomas Partey won’t be signing a new contract, so they will need to find a replacement.
How could Arsenal line up against Man United?
Defence: David Raya, Myles Lewis-Skelly, William Saliba, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber
The Gunners’ defence will likely remain unchanged from Arteta’s preferred line up last season. Raya starts in goal after winning the Premier League Golden Glove award for the second consecutive season.
Both Saliba and Gabriel are arguably the strongest centre-back partnerships in the Premier League, so Arteta will no doubt start them both if they are both ready to start come the Man United game.
Furthermore, Lewis-Skelly starts at left-back after reports suggested that he has agreed a new long-term contract with the Gunners. Jurrien Timber completes the defensive line up at right back.
Midfield: Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard
In terms of midfield, Arsenal have been heavily linked to signing Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, with reports saying that the Gunners have agreed to pay his £51m release clause. He will arguably be Thomas Partey’s replacement in midfield.
Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard complete the midfield much like last season, with Odegaard hoping to improve upon what was a slightly disappointing season for the Gunners’ captain.
Declan Rice was excellent for Arsenal last season and became more of an attacking threat as well as a defensive midfielder. He made 52 appearances, scoring nine goals and providing 10 assists.
Attack: Morgan Rodgers, Bukayo Saka, Benjamin Sesko
In attack, Saka keeps his place on the right wing after a superb season that was slightly plagued by injury. However, he has a new partner on the other side as Arsenal have been heavily linked to signing Aston Villa attacker Morgan Rodgers.
The England international was excellent for Villa last season, scoring 14 goals and providing 15 assists after making 54 appearances in all competitions. Furthermore, Benjamin Sesko has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates.
It is understood that Arsenal are in talks to land the Slovenia international, who has an £84m release clause at RB Leipzig. Last season, he made 33 Bundesliga appearances, in which he scored 13 goals. If they fail to add Sesko, the Gunners would be likely to pursue Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres instead.
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