Mikel Arteta used to get a headache just from the thought of playing two games a week.
That may still be the case, but compared to past seasons, the reason for any selection headache is very different this time.
Arteta now has more depth than ever thanks to Arsenal’s £250 million summer acquisitions and the addition of eight new players.
The fact that Ethan Nwaneri traveled to Newcastle for the game at St. James’ Park last weekend but did not even make the bench served as further evidence of how serious that is.
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Given Arteta’s options, the 18-year-old won’t be the last to suffer that fate.
Arteta Informed His Players About The Potential Of Missing Out On Matchday Squad
According to The Evening Standard, the Arsenal manager made it a point to inform his team of this back in the summer.
“I talked to all the players and we had a meeting specifically about that and the scenarios that we’re going to have throughout the season,” said Arteta.
“Some of them are going to start, some of them are going to finish the game, some of them are going to be on the bench and don’t be participating – and some of them unfortunately are going to be out of the squad because with the Premier League you have a limitation with the numbers.
“Sometimes we have to travel more players because things can happen, somebody can get ill or we have a doubt with somebody whether the next one is going to be available to play and unfortunately we have to do that.
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