Arteta sticks by Balogun stance despite injury as trio left off squad list

04 August 2023 , 03:00

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Arsenal have played their final pre-season outing of the summer with all three of their new arrivals featuring at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta has bolstered his ranks ahead of the new Premier League season but has been dealt a blow with Gabriel Jesus set for a spell on the sidelines. In his absence last term Eddie Nketiah filled in, but the Brazilian remains very much the club's first choice striker.

Arsenal's focus is likely to be on exits, rather than arrivals, in the coming weeks. Several players went out on loan last season and have returned but have little or no chance of first-team action. The Gunners want to get them off the wage bill with Arteta citing the squad size as "unsustainable".

Here's the latest from north London.

Arteta unmoved on Balogun despite injury issue

Arteta issued a bleak update on the fitness of striker Jesus, but insisted the Brazilian's injury will not lead to any changes for Folarin Balogun.

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As soon as news of Jesus' injury broke, some sections of the Gunners fanbase started to speculate whether his spell on the sidelines would lead to Balogun getting a significant increase in first-team minutes at the start of the new Premier League season. The 22-year-old American international has long been highly-rated within the Arsenal hierarchy, but has seemed destined for the Emirates exit all summer.

Balogun enjoyed a breakout season on loan with Ligue 1 outfit Stade de Reims last term, netting 21 goals in 37 league appearances. It served as an announcement to the rest of English and European football regarding the forward's true talent.

Trio left off squad list

Eagle-eyed Arsenal fans have noticed a clue regarding the Gunners transfer activity this summer on the back of the club's matchday programme.

Arteta's men welcomed Monaco to the Emirates for a pre-season friendly and supporters spotted the fact that all three of Nicolas Pepe, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares' names were omitted from the squad list on the back of the programme. None of the aforementioned trio are part of Arteta's plans moving forward and have all enjoyed loan spells away from the club recently.

Pepe spent last term with Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice, where injuries curtailed what at one stage looked like it could have been a promising campaign. Arteta himself admitted he was hoping for more from the Ivory Coast international.

Blades land £5m deal

Auston Trusty has left the Gunners and joined Sheffield United on a permanent deal.

The Premier League now boys have signed the 24-year-old for £5m after he impressed on loan at Birmingham last term, winning the club's Player of the Year as a result. He joined Arsenal from Colorado Rapids in January 2022 but was never able to break into the first-team picture.

Edu said on his departure: “We are so proud to see how far Auston has come and the journey he has been on. If you look at him when he joined us compared to now when he is leaving us, he has achieved so much. Everyone involved in Auston’s progression to this point should have great satisfaction in the steps he has taken, moving on to this new challenge.”