The Premier League season is around the corner and Mikel Arteta is doing all that he can so that his team can back stronger than last season and challenge for the Premier League title. This is after giving a spirited fight last season against Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Mikel Arteta will however have a lot of selection dilemma in his defence next season. Arsenal had the best defence last season and the club has again added another thorough defender in Riccardo Calafiori.
It should also be noted that Jurrien Timber was bought last season but he got injured and missed the entire season. He is now coming back as another new signing who is ready to bolster the squad and also add to the depth of the squad get into the first team and perform well.
Jurrien Timber has so far been the best player at the pre-season and he has shown that he is really hungry to get back to the pitch and help Arsenal in their quest for the Premier League title.
William Saliba and Gabriel were really good last season and it will be a big dilemma for Mikel Arteta because both Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori can also play as centre backs. It will be a great gamble for Mikel Arteta to tamper with the defence that has been giving him good results.
On the flipside, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are also too good to warm the bench. Jurrien Timber can play as a right back and this means that Ben White who has been performing well in that position may start feeling the heat and the pressure.
Riccardo Calafiori on the other side will also dislodge Oleksandr Zinchenko at the left back position and cement it as his own position. Zinchenko has been having some mixed performances in that position and therefore he should be a worried man because his position is up for grabs.
Takehiro Tomiyasu is another versatile defender at Arsenal who can play all the positions in the defence. He can place as a central defender, left back and also as a centre back too.
It should also be noted that the club also still has Jakub Kiwior who can also play as a centre back and also as a left back.
The good thing about all this is that Mikel Arteta has the squad depth that he has been dreaming of and therefore he will have a wide range of players to choose from.