Arsenal won their first match of their pre-season with a 5-1 victory over Ipswich Town. It was a behind-closed-doors match and not part of the official pre-season fixture list, but it will have provided some vital early match minutes to the early returners.
The team comprised eleven senior stars for the first half, with a youthful side taking the field for the second. Arsenal had released images of the players returning for training ahead of the new campaign, with the bulk of the squad still on their extended holiday after featuring for their national teams.
Some awkward returnees still expected to leave this summer were amongst the group, Hector Bellerin, Bernd Leno, Pablo Mari, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson and Nicolas Pepe were involved against Ipswich. Plenty was worthy of note during the game, though.
READ MORE: Eddie Nketiah scores hat-trick as Arsenal beat Ipswich in training match
Eddie Nketiah’s hattrick is the highlight of the game after the former England under-21 captain confirmed he would be staying in north London having signed a new contract. Much had been debated about the financial side of the deal in relation to what Nketiah could produce.
However, if he can start producing numbers similar to this pre-season outing more regularly, the club and player will certainly feel vindicated in their choice. With Gabriel Jesus still to come, Nketiah is putting in the early minutes to try and compete with his new rival.
Reiss Nelson also got on the field. He was one of the players who returned, having spent the season away on loan.
He enjoyed a successful season in the Eredivisie with Feyenoord, who he helped reach the UEFA Conference League final. A narrow defeat to Roma where Ainsley Maitland-Niles spent six months on loan too.
Nelson’s future is uncertain, but his involvement and goal could provide some clarity to where Mikel Arteta sees the England youth winger. With just one year left, however, unless a renewal agreement is reached, a summer departure remains the most likely.
It appears Arsenal have missed out on Raphinha, and with football.london understands Nicolas Pepe’s agency switch was done with a view to finding a new club. Perhaps an opening for Nelson has emerged. Time will tell.
Hector Bellerin also played, which may be of some surprise. Although considering all the first team, early returners look like they were involved, perhaps this is not too shocking. Cedric Soares playing left-back whilst both Nuno Tavares and Kieran Tierney await a full return will be something Arteta will hope to avoid in the summer should he bring in a player.
Lastly was the final goalscorer Folarin Balogun. The England under-21 striker spent the last six months of the season on loan with Middlesbrough. He played out of position and on the left for a large portion of the loan but is seen more so as a central figure.
With Jesus and Nketiah at the club, Balogun’s minutes would be very limited. So, his minutes in this friendly seem the perfect opportunity to try and put himself in the shop window for a lengthy season-long loan to continue his development and push for a place in the Arsenal senior squad in 2023.
Arsenal will play Nuremberg next on Friday as they travel to Germany for a pre-season camp before flying to the United States for a tour of Florida. Games against Everton, Orlando City and Chelsea precede an Emirates Cup game against Sevilla the weekend before the season starts.
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