Mikel Arteta is currently facing a Europa League squad crisis to make room for new Arsenal signings
Arsenal’s January additions of Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior have given Gunners manager Mikel Arteta a headache when it comes to selecting the club’s Europa League roster.
Following the additions of Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will have to leave a first-team player out of the club’s Europa League squad.
The Gunners signed Poland international defender Kiwior from Spezia for £21 million and are in talks with Real Valladolid full-back Ivan Fresneda. This comes on top of their £27 million signing of Trossard from Brighton, and they are looking for a January loan deal for a midfielder to bolster their team for the title race.
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Unlike last season, the North London club is hoping for silverware not just at home, as they have advanced to the Round of 16 of the Europa League. Arteta’s team escaped the playoff round of matches by finishing first in their group ahead of PSV Eindhoven, which means they will not compete again until March.
However, this will require Arteta to make a difficult decision about who players to leave out of his squad for the competition. There is only room for one more player in the club’s 25-man European squad, and two fresh signings have already been made, with more on the way.
As outlined by UEFA, the ruling regarding player registration states : ‘As of the round of 16, a club may register a maximum of three new eligible players for the remaining matches in the current competition. Such registration must be completed by 2 February 2023 (24.00CET) at the latest. This deadline cannot be extended.
The club could sign Fresneda this month, and they have also been linked with a move for a new midfielder, with Juventus player Weston McKennie thought to be on their radar. However, this means that the club has now exceeded its maximum squad size.
Arsenal registered a 24-man squad for the group stages, which did not include Bukayo Saka or Karl Hein, who are on List B due to their age and satisfying specific standards, with only one more player available before others must be withdrawn.
Aaron Ramsdale, Matt Turner, and James Hillson are the goalkeepers.
Kieran Tierney, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Rob Holding, Cedric Soares, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Oleksandr Zinchenko are the defenders.
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Midfielders: Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Matt Smith
Forwards: Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson, Marquinhos
It is likely that the first player to make way from the squad will be full-back Cedric Soares, who has been linked with a move to Fulham this month. The Portugal international has fallen behind Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White in the competition for a right-back berth in Arteta’s side.
