REVEALED: Things spotted in Arsenal pre-season training today as star handed new squad number
Pre-season begins now for Arsenal as some stars made their way back to London Colney in preparation for the new Premier League season. Mikel Arteta was putting a few of his stars through their paces as they return from their holidays, with one clear goal in mind for the campaign.
The Gunners want to win and they want to win everything they possibly can, having come within a whisker of landing the Premier League title last season. They fell short in the domestic cups with some early exits and this time around they’re swapping the Europa League for Champions League football.
The summer transfer spend looks set to match that ambition, with a move for Kai Havertz already completed and deals for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber likely to eclipse the £200million for incomings. Once completed, it may be some time before they’re in training and integrated with the rest of the group for pre-season as they spend time off.
But for those involved at London Colney today, they were taking tests and were pushed to their limits under the coaching staff for the huge month or so ahead. With that said, here’s a look at things that were spotted in training on Monday.
Returning loanees
There were a few returning faces in training on Monday as players made their way back to London Colney for pre-season to begin. One of those was right-back Cedric Soares, who spent the second half of last season on loan with Fulham, while Marquinhos was also spotted after his loan with Norwich City.
Jesus and Marquinhos all smiles
Gabriel Jesus was spotted with the returning Marquinhos in training on Monday, with the pair pictured together on a few occasions. The two Brazilians were seen smiling when in conversation with one another on some of the workout equipment, underlining the bond the pair have.
Lino Sousa involvement
Arsenal youngster Lino Sousa was involved in pre-season training on the first day back, seemingly wearing a new number on his training gear too. The 18-year-old right-back had originally been given the number 96, but was spotted wearing 72 as Arteta gets a look at the youngster before the season starts.
Eddie Nketiah message
Striker Eddie Nketiah took to social media to give a message on his return to training with several pictures of himself to go alongside it. He said: “Straight back to it!”, with the academy graduate set for another big season after playing an important role last time out.
Absences
While a few players made their return to the training ground, there were noticeably quite a few stars missing from the session as well. Players that have been involved in international duty have been given extra time off, with their seasons ending later than the rest, meaning they will be back in training later down the line.
