We Need To Talk About Kai
Hello Legion, and welcome to our first official post/update! We are thrilled to have you along for the ride on the baby steps part of this journey on the Arsenal site/blog path.
There was some lively discussions about what the content should be for our first outing and decided we would lead with something all us Gooners no doubt have on our minds after a whirlwind summer of transfer activity, and that is, when everyone is fit and available (if that ever happens), "What is our best starting eleven?" We'd like to stress that we think it's the best eleven to START THE SEASON and the one we'll see starting at Old Trafford this Sunday, but we are well aware it's a fluid discussion which we've taken into account in our position analysis.
We hear talk that in today's game, there is no 'best' eleven. It's a 25-man squad thing. To that we say Pffffffffffffft. We all know better than anyone that squad rotation is critical in modern football, and many fans see it as Arteta's kryptonite (we agree). Still, we also all have a clear idea of the starting eleven we would rock for the Champions League final.
Be warned, this ended up a bit longer than originally planned, but once you start getting into a topic like this, it's hard to stop. We wouldn't say it's a 'deep dive', but it's a fun read nonetheless. So let's jump right in, shall we, with one notable absentee .....
We will leave the matter of Kai Havertz till later. For now, we'll take a run-through of the above lineup with some questions and theories.
We'll start at the back with the goalkeepers, and it's one of the easiest. Unless Raya gets injured or has the worst form dip of his career, then he's starting every game but the domestic cups. Easy.
At right back, we have our first position 'battle' looming, and it's between Timber and White. We give Timber the nod as he was one of our standout performers last season and kept Benny Blanco on the sideline after BB returned from injury. White is an interesting one to keep an eye on. He wants back in the England fold, and with next year being a World Cup year, come January, you will see more players than normal seeking moves for first-team football to secure World Cup squad spots. If White doesn't play much from now until Christmas, we can genuinely picture him exploring his options.
The Centre Half pairings, much like the goalkeeping position, are set in stone. The starters will be Saliba and Gabriel. The backups will be Mosquera, Calafiori, White, and, for now, Kiwior. If reports are true, the club will accept offers for Kiwior, and we're with them on the £30m valuation. He is 25 years old, a regular international for Poland, and a left-footed centre back. He has 3 years plus a year option left on his contract. If Bournemouth can get £57m for Zabarnyi, then £30m for Kiwior seems reasonable, no?
At left back, the position is Lewis-Skelly's to lose. He reminds us of a left-footed Timber and trust us when we say that's no bad thing. Calafiori looks like he will be the main backup choice with Zinchenko set to leave the club if a suitable offer comes along.
Midfield seems to be pretty clear-cut too. Zubimendi will start as the 6, and what a player he looks. He is our early bet for Player of the Year status. His back-up will be Norgaard. He impressed us in pre-season and looks a smart piece of business, capably filling in for Zubi if and when required. We aren't including the returned Lokonga in the mix, as again, his time at the club looks over.
The 8 position belongs to Declan Rice, and he will be more than capably backed up by Merino and Havertz.
The 10 will be Captain Odegaard starting, and the backup roles for him will be interesting. Will it be Havertz or does Nwaneri see more game time there as he has pre-season? We like the look of Nwaneri as the 10. He brings more of a goal threat but hasn't quite yet developed that killer deft pass. Fabio Vieira is another player we are hoping to exit, with rumours of a move to Stuttgart or West Ham in the offing. We are looking to recoup most of the transfer fee we paid (£32m), but offers are somewhere in the £20m range, so work to be done. We are also actively looking to bring Eze in, which we think will happen once we get some funds from sales.
The right-wing position is, of course, Sakas. A lot of our success will again depend on how well our star plays and how his fitness holds up. Hopefully, his hamstring problem is behind him. Backing him up will be the recently acquired Madueke and Nwaneri. We really hope Madueke's signing doesn't impact the playing time and development of Nwaneri. The X-Factor here is Max Dowman. How much will Arteta play him? It will be really interesting to see how much game time he gets.
The left wing is the position that is most up for debate. It's Martinelli's. For now. We do think, however, that Gabi is on Ramsdale watch. If he doesn't perform the first 4 or 5 games, then Madueke takes his job. We don't just think Noni was bought to back up Saka, we think he was bought to take the left wing job over. Gabi better have his game boots ready and early. We haven't forgotten about Trossard. He seems to be getting lost a little in the shuffle and could be one of the players sacrificed for the Eze cash. He will be 31 in December and is in the last year of his deal. Prime selling bait. We haven't included Reiss Nelson, as, like the others, he has no future at the club.
Last but certainly not least is the centre forward spot. Gyokeres will start. Of that we have no doubt. We aren't going through that much transfer trouble and spending that much money on our one true position of need, to revert to last year's personnel. Havertz will back up, and Jesus will be in the mix come the return from his bad injury. We aren't putting a time frame on that, as reported return dates are wildly conflicting. When he does return, does he even have a future at the club? Time will tell.
And that is where we think we are in squad terms. We hope we didn't forget anyone.
The title of our piece centred, of course, around Kai Havertz. We could be way off here, but in the new look 25/26 Arsenal, he looks like being the odd Kai (ahem) out. He can play multiple positions, yes, but is he better in any of them than the people starting? Is he a better centre forward than Gyokeres? We'd better hope not. Is he a better 10 than Odegaard? Prob not. A bit like Nwaneri in that more of a goal threat, certainly, but doesn't have the eye for that killer pass. Is he a better 8 than Rice? No. Is he a better left winger than any of our options there? Again, we think not.
So where does that leave us? It leaves us with our highest earner on £275k/week, with nowhere to go, it seems. It will be even worse if Eze enters the building. That's another spot in the number 10 queue taken. We do wonder how this season will go for Mr Wacka Wacka? We don't know of any other team in world football that would have their Swiss Army Knife type player as their top earner. Maybe we are wrong and he does start, but then, out of the starting eleven, who would you leave out? It will be fascinating to see how it plays out. Arteta has some big calls to make for sure.
Well, that's our argument for who starts and who doesn't, in the books. Let us know in the comments if you agree. In the meantime, keep an eye out on Saturday for our Yanited preview. See you then, Legion.