Arsenal’s ideal starting lineup for the 2024/25 Premier League opener following a £93m double transfer acquisition
The fixtures for the 2024/25 Premier League season will be announced tomorrow, revealing each club’s schedule ahead of the campaign’s start in August.
With less than two months before the new season kicks off and Euro 2024 occupying at least a month of that time, players will have a brief break before pre-season begins in earnest.
Arsenal has several players on international duty, many of whom aim to advance far in both Euro 2024 and the Copa America. These players might receive additional time off to recover before rejoining pre-season activities.
The Gunners are set to tour America before the Premier League starts, and Mikel Arteta hopes to have his entire squad available, injury-free, for the tour.
Arteta also hopes to add a few new players to his squad as he aims to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title again. Sporting director Edu is expected to be active in the summer transfer window, with several high-profile signings already being linked to the club.
Benjamin Sesko declined a potential move to the Emirates Stadium, choosing instead to sign a new deal with RB Leipzig. This has led to new transfer links emerging.
Netherlands star Xavi Simons has been mentioned as a potential addition to the forward line, with Arteta looking for a versatile frontman rather than a traditional striker. Simons impressed in the Netherlands’ opening Euro 2024 match against Poland on Sunday afternoon.
Another linked player, Artem Dovbyk, will make his Euro 2024 debut on Monday. The Ukrainian striker scored 24 goals and provided eight assists in 36 matches for Girona in La Liga this season, an impressive feat.
Dovbyk’s ability to both score and assist aligns with what Arteta seeks in the summer transfer window, potentially making him an ideal partner for Kai Havertz.
Simons would cost Arsenal around £51 million, while Dovbyk is likely to be valued at approximately £42 million, totaling a potential £93 million double deal for Edu to negotiate.
Whether both players need to be signed this summer is debatable. It could be one or the other, or perhaps neither, depending on other options the club might consider.
If other were signed, it could allow Bukayo Saka a much-needed rest at the start of the season, following a long 2023/24 campaign and the Euros with England. Simons could play on the right, in Saka’s role, with Dovbyk leading the line, supported either by Havertz on the left or Havertz in a midfield trio with Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice, and Gabriel Martinelli on the left.
Potential starting XI: Raya; White, Gabriel, Saliba, Tomiyasu; Rice, Ødegaard, Havertz; Simons, Dovbyk, Martinelli.