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Arsenal star Leandro Trossard made a bold statement with his match-saving performance against Italy in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday. The Red Devils found themselves trailing early when Juventus winger Andrea Cambiaso scored in the opening minute, and Atalanta’s in-form striker Mateo Retegui doubled Italy’s lead in the 24th minute.

However, the momentum shifted in Belgium’s favour when Lorenzo Pellegrini was sent off in the 38th minute, offering a lifeline to the visitors. Belgium seized the opportunity and began to dominate the match. Just before halftime, Maxim De Cuyper reduced the deficit, with Trossard delivering a deft touch to set up the Club Brugge full-back to finish off a well-executed set-piece.

Matteo Guendouzi has previously suggested that William Saliba’s true footballing passion lies with a club other than Arsenal.

Saliba rose through the ranks at St Etienne before making his first team debut for the Ligue 1 side in 2018. However, Arsenal were quick to spot the 23-year-old’s potential, securing him for the Emirates Stadium in a £27million deal the following year.

But Saliba’s transition to north London wasn’t smooth – he was loaned back to St Etienne for the 2019/20 season, then to Nice the next season.

He spent the 2021/22 season with Marseille, before being recalled to Arsenal where he has since found his footing. Under Mikel Arteta, the tough-tackling centre-half has made 92 appearances across all competitions and has been a key figure in their Premier League title challenges in recent seasons.

Arsenal have been dealt a series of early-season injury blows, with several key players sidelined for extended periods. Among those absent is team captain Martin Odegaard, as the Gunners navigate through a challenging stretch of the campaign.

The international break may have arrived at a favourable time for Mikel Arteta’s side, offering a chance for injured players to recover without the added pressure of missing more games.

Arteta has remained tight-lipped regarding the return of Odegaard, but recent footage released by the club shows the Norwegian making progress. Odegaard, who suffered an ankle injury during the September international break, was seen running in a rehabilitation chamber.

The Italy international joined the Gunners from Serie A side Bologna back in July. He was on several clubs’ shortlists, but when Arsenal came in for him, Calafiori only wanted to become a Gunner.

Arsenal fans and Mikel Arteta were delighted to have Calafiori. Everyone saw what he was capable of at the Euros and his potential is absolutely massive.

The 22-year-old was left on the bench in the first Premier League game of the season and was then only used as a substitute in the next two fixtures.

Calafiori missed the fourth game of the campaign, which was against Tottenham, due to a calf injury, but he got his first-ever start in the following clash at Manchester City.

The England international says he always thought that Havertz was an unbelievable player, and that everyone in the Arsenal dressing room has the same view.

“I’ve always thought Kai’s an unbelievable player,” says Saka. “Everyone in the dressing room did too. We’re so happy that he’s showing that. This season he has come out with even more confidence, I think he’s scored in almost every game.

“He’s going to score a lot of goals this season. He has a really good understanding around the box, when to attack it, and that’s why he gets a lot of chances and that’s why hopefully he’ll score a lot of goals.”

Arsenal’s bright start to the 2024/25 campaign has now been interrupted by the latest international break.

Mikel Arteta now has the opportunity to look back on the opening seven games of the Premier League season which has the Gunners sat in third.

After two seasons of pushing Manchester City at the top of the table, Arsenal are now looking set for another title push this season.

The north London outfit are looking strong in the league having taken 17 points from their opening seven games as well as a solid start in Europe.

However, there may already be some questions surrounding the future of some of their players ahead of next summer’s transfer window.

Bukayo Saka has seemingly sent a clear transfer message to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu. The Gunners currently sit third in the Premier League table and are unbeaten after seven games with 17 points to their name, the same as Manchester City, and just one behind leaders Liverpool.

Though the 2024/25 campaign is only two months old, Arteta has already had to contend with a number of issues. Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard, Ben White and David Raya have all missed action through either injury or suspension.

Saka however, has been a constant with the 23-year-old failing to pick up at least one goal contribution in just three of the ten games he has featured in. This past weekend he scored and grabbed two assists in Arsenal’s comeback victory over Southampton with Kai Havertz also playing a huge role.

Arsenal have managed to cope very well despite the injuries suffered by a number of their key stars. Unlike previous seasons where there has been sporadic issues of relative frequency when it came to absences, Mikel Arteta has lost several members of his group in the opening seven games of the new season.

Martin Odegaard has been missing since before the North London Derby as has Oleksandr Zinchenko. Kieran Tierney has not been able to make a single matchday squad after suffering a major hamstring injury in the European Championships.

Ben White, Jurrien Timber, David Raya, Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu have also all missed matches because of injury-related issues. While both Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard have served one-match suspensions after receiving red cards against Brighton and Manchester City respectively.

Arteta has however since been able to integrate and give minutes to most of his summer signings. Merino is now playing matches from the bench, Calafiori has almost secured a starting spot while Raheem Sterling remains an option from the bench but did make his first start against Southampton. Yet one player remains yet to get any game time.

Real Madrid have set their sights on a potential transfer for Arsenal’s star centre-back William Saliba, following his impressive development at the Emirates Stadium, reports suggest. After gaining valuable experiences through loans at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille, Saliba has emerged as a key defender under Mikel Arteta.

Le 10 Sport write that the La Liga giants deem Saliba their main target for the upcoming summer window and have already initiated contact with his reps to discuss his interest in joining them. This interest surfaces post Real Madrid’s failure to seal a deal for Leny Yoro, who chose a £58.7million switch to Manchester United instead.

Arsenal have been labelled as “lucky” by some rival fans regarding their injury record over the last couple of seasons as they have fought for the Premier League title. Key players have remained fit whereas this season that rhetoric has been flipped.

Forgetting that these aforementioned claims are indeed bogus and the losses of Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, Jurrien Timber and Granit Xhaka over those two seasons at varying points disprove that, no one is making these claims this time around. The Gunners have been without several figures, some of which are vital to the system.

This international break perhaps has come at the perfect time for Mikel Arteta, allowing a period of recovery for some nearing their return, while others need not worry about missing yet more games. Arteta has been coy about the return of Martin Odegaard, but media released by the club showed the Norwegian running in a chamber as he continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered during the September break.