Being extremely cynical, because in reality nobody likes international breaks, especially not one that comes three weeks into the Premier League season and after a summer of major tournaments, Arsenal’s midfield squad building needs questioning. That has not been something levelled at them much in the past two years.
Edu Gaspar has got things pretty much spot on with Mikel Arteta and the return has been a meteoric improvement in Premier League results. But heading into the 2024/25 season, Arsenal looked light.
This is not just hindsight because Martin Odegaard has been cast as a major injury doubt just ahead of the first North London Derby of the campaign, but it is the unshakeable truth following the summer that has just passed. Arsenal’s core group of trusted players is smaller than most teams, let alone ones competing in European competition at the top end, and that didn’t clearly change over the summer.
