Before the Premier League season paused for the winter World Cup in Qatar, it was quite evident as to which Arsenal players Mikel Arteta was relying upon when fit and ahead of the restart all signs point towards one major change.
After splashing out £120million to sign Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the summer transfer window, the question on many Gunners supporters' minds was could any of the quintet force their way into the Spaniard's core group of undroppables at some point in the campaign?
In truth, it was always going to be difficult for all five signings to come in and make an immediate impact, especially when taking into consideration Arteta's decisions in pre-season all pointed towards him already knowing at least six players that would feature in his strongest starting XI week-in, week-out when fit and available.
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At the start of the season, there was an argument that Gabriel Jesus would be assured a place in the starting XI regardless of the formation most weeks alongside goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, Thomas Partey, newly-appointed captain Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
In addition, due to Arteta's preference for a left-footer playing as the left-sided defender to bring balance in central defence, Gabriel Magalhaes was a strong candidate to be included in this list and the fact that the Brazilian has started every single Premier League game so far this season indicates he has confirmed his spot.
William Saliba can also add his name to the list. The Frenchman was nothing short of sensational in pre-season and hasn't looked out of place since forging a solid partnership with Gabriel. Meanwhile, the full-back positions have been a source of debate among fans as Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko appear to have usurped Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney.
Now, Granit Xhaka has always been regarded as an automatic starter under Arteta, but this was in doubt with Arsenal tipped to bolster the engine room amid links to Leicester City's Youri Tielemans amongst others before the transfer window closed. Of course, with no arrival of a new midfielder, it has allowed the 30-year-old to take his place amongst the core group of undroppables and his form so far this season suggests it will take a lot to displace him as he's arguably been the Gunners' standout player in their ascent to the top of the Premier League table.
In attack, with Emile Smith Rowe not having much of a pre-season as well as being out of action since September after undergoing surgery, Gabriel Martinelli has made the left-wing spot his own with five goals in 14 Premier League appearances. Although considering Arteta has high hopes for the Gunners no.10, this battle should resume once he is over his fitness problems.
With that said, confirmation of Jesus undergoing after sustaining medial ligament damage during Brazil's 1-0 World Cup defeat to Cameroon and subsequent fears that he could now be out of action for up to three months allows Eddie Nketiah to force his way into Arteta's core group, at least until a timeframe for Jesus' return is confirmed.
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