Five things we learnt about Arsenal this week

 1. Thomas Partey is staying

In an interview on CBS Sports Mikel Arteta said: "Now we have three very good holding midfielders, with him [Rice], Thomas and Jorgi. I have to fit them in because they are so good and I love playing with midfielders! We’re thinking of a few ways to maximise their qualities and get the best out of them."

2. Jurrien Timber will play mainly at right-back

Timber came on for William Saliba in the match against the MLS All-stars and could have gone straight in at centre-back but Mikel Arteta put him at right-back and switched Benjamin White from right-back to centre-back.

At 5'9" Timber is a light on the short side to be a centre-back in the premier league.

3. Trusty, Balogun and Marquinhos will be given chance to prove themselves

Auston Trusty (80 minutes), Folarin Balogun (65) and Marquinhos (65) all came on against the MLS All-stars and will presumably be given a chance to prove themselves in pre-season before their futures are decided. 

We have enough spare squad spaces for next season for both Trusty and  Balugon to be included (assuming that we sell the players we are expecting to be sold). It would be nice for both to be given at least until the next transfer window to prove themselves before we sell them. They could both prove to be surprise successes. If not, then we can still move them in the window.

If Trusty isn't to be given a chance then why did we sign him? He is a better player than most give him credit for. Surely Arteta must have some sort of plan for him.

Marquinhos is still young and will probably go out on loan again, but he can become a big player for Arsenal in the future.

4. Kai Harvertz will replace Granit Xhaka

Havertz will play mostly in the 8/10 role formerly occupied by Xhaka alongside Martin Odegaard. Against MLS he came on on the left wing to replace Eddie Nketiah at half-time but then switched to the 8/10 position when Martinelli came on after 56 minutes.

Mikel Arteta said: "Havertz gives us something very different with his quality and size. When you have to beat the press, for example, and use him as a target man. So, we will see - for now, he’s playing in the attacking midfield position, but I’m sure throughout the season and throughout games as well, we’re going to have the options to play him in different positions."

5. Leandro Trossard can also replace Xhaka

With Kai Havertz still settling in and Emile Smith Rowe only recently returned from England u21s, Trossard was given playing time in Xhaka's position against both Nurnberg and MLS All-stars and was pretty impressive in both matches. He gives us another option that position.

It's good to see we have a lot of players in the squad who are versatile and can cover any eventuality.

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Five things we learnt about Arsenal this week

Tim-ber! Arsenal sign Jurrien Timber

 

Arsenal have signed Jurrien Timber from Ajax for a reported fee of £38.5m.

He claims he loves the club, but then he's hardly going to say anything else is he?

In case you're interested - perhaps you want to get his numbered shirt - he will wear the number 12 shirt.

Seriously though, this looks like a good signing. I can't believe no one else has been challenging us for his signature. He can play right back or centre back. He's a little short for a centre back at 5'9", but as Lisandro Martínez has proved at Man Utd, it is possible to thrive in the Premier League as a centre back with being 6" plus.

Still, I expect him to play mostly at right back, though Arteta has emphasised his versatility - a quality he seems to covet in his signings.

He's only 22 years old but has already played 85 times for Ajax -winning the league twice - and 15 times for The Netherlands. For such a young player that is impressive, and again a typical Mikel Arteta signing - a young player with experience.

Will he be in the first eleven? I don't know. My guess is that he will be a squad player at the start of the season, but Arteta doesn't play favourites and if he does well enough when he does get chances, he could force his way into the starting eleven by the end of the season. In any case, with Arsenal being in the Champions League this season we will need a big squad and some rotation will be necessary.

So, welcome to the Arsenal, Jurrien Timber. May your career at the club be long and prosperous.

Picture courtesy Carlo Beuil, Creative Commons 2.0

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Tim-ber! Arsenal sign Jurrien Timber

What do we think of Kai Havertz?

 

Unless you've been living in a cave you will have heard by now that Arsenal have signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea for reported fee of £65 million. So what do we make of this signing?

Havertz played mainly as a false nine for Chelsea last season, with limited success, scoring only nine goals from 47 starts. It is doubtful whether he will fulfil the same role for Arsenal however, having been listed as a midfielder on the official Arsenal FC website. Instead, with Granit Xhaka now having left the club, Harvertz is expected to replace him in the 'number 8' role which Xhaka played so well last season.

This makes sense, as I believe Mikel Arteta wants to get more out of this position in an attacking sense without sacrificing too much defensively. This is why he tried both Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe in that position to a limited extent last season.

The only other option is that Declan Rice will play in Xhaka's old role and Thomas Partey and Jorginho will continue to play the defensive midfield role, with Kai Havertz being merely squad player. However, it is unlikely that Arteta would pay so much money for a player who he doesn't see as being in the starting eleven.

In the past, Havertz has played in the 'number 10' role; however, he has never played in the slightly deeper number 10 position or advanced 'number 8' that Arsenal are expected to use him in, essentially being the same position as Martin Odegaard but on the opposite side of the pitch - expected to perform the role of a traditional  'number 10' but also expect to drop back and help out defensively.

There is no avoiding the fact that paying such a big fee is a risk for a player that we will be asking to play a role that he is unfamiliar with is a bit of a risk; yet this is essentially what he did with Odegaard, albeit for a slightly smaller fee. And that worked out very well indeed.

Havertz has all the attributes required to succeed in this new role:.he works hard and he is physically fast and strong, but he also has the ability to arrive late in the box or the play the killer pass. Fans may need to be patient with him initially as he settles into the club and into the role, but he has the ability.

Anyway, only time will tell.

Image courtesy Marco Verch (Creative Commons 2.0)

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What do we think of Kai Havertz?