Mikel Arteta has delivered a largely positive fitness update as Arsenal prepare to begin their Premier League campaign against Coventry City on Friday night.
The Gunners head into the opening fixture full of confidence after dismantling Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield, and Arteta is hoping to carry that momentum into the league season.
Among the biggest positives is the availability of England internationals Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
Both players came off the bench during the Community Shield victory and are now ready to play a role against the newly promoted Championship champions.
“They’re ready to be involved, yes,” Arteta confirmed.
While Saka and Rice are available, there is still uncertainty surrounding new midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
The Brazilian was substituted at half-time during the Community Shield and remains a doubt for Friday’s encounter.
Arteta provided an encouraging update but stopped short of confirming his involvement.
“Let’s see how he is,” Mikel said on our new midfielder, “he’s evolving really well, but let’s see for tomorrow.”
The decision will likely be made closer to kick-off as Arsenal assess whether Guimaraes is ready to make his competitive debut.
Arsenal’s defensive options remain a concern, however, with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba both unavailable for the Coventry clash.
Timber is progressing well but has yet to return to full team training, meaning his comeback will have to wait.
“[He will be back] in the next few weeks, he’s not training with the group yet. We have a really specific issue in the backline, especially with the long-term injury of Wilo.
“We are trying to reinforce that area. Whenever we’re ready, we’ll announce something.”
Saliba’s absence further highlights the importance of Arsenal maintaining depth at the back as they prepare for another demanding campaign.
The Arsenal boss also addressed the challenge of managing a large squad throughout a season that will demand plenty from his players.
With Premier League, Champions League and domestic competitions all on the agenda, Arteta believes having options across every position could prove decisive.
However, he knows keeping everyone satisfied while distributing minutes will be one of his biggest management tests.
“That’s something that we are working on with every individual to understand. I would like to have the squad as big as possible because we know what we are fighting for.
“[We know] how long this [season] is and will learn again from the past and we will learn again from the past, especially last year.
“We got in some difficult situations and we had two or three injuries in the same area of the pitch. So the deeper the squad that we have, the better.
“We have to manage that, the players have to feel important and valued in order to do that, they need to play minutes.”
Friday’s clash with Coventry represents the beginning of Arsenal’s title defence, and Arteta will expect his players to set the tone immediately.
The Community Shield victory over Manchester City has already provided an early confidence boost, but the Premier League presents a much longer and more demanding challenge.
With Saka and Rice available, Guimaraes potentially nearing fitness and several injured players working towards returns, Arsenal appear to have plenty of reasons for optimism.
The immediate task, however, is simple: start the league season with three points.
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