Arsenal: 3 players whose return will change the team irreversibly

2. Hector Bellerin

The 24-year-old has been almost fit for a while now. His name was in the starting XI against Chelsea, but pulled up with a tight hamstring in the warmups, and has not featured since. Every week, his return gets bumped back another. It’s a deadly cycle, but one I am confident he will break.

But Bellerin’s return will bring three things we need desperately. First off, we have no backup right back. If Maitland-Niles gets injured—and with the miles he is logging without rest, that’s becoming more likely—we have two options. We convert Reiss Nelson into a right wingback, a prospect neither he, nor you, nor I would be excited about. Or we play Sokratis there. No thanks.

Second, he is the last vestige of Unai Emery’s 5-captain-experiment. With Aubameyang suspended, we need as much leadership on the field as we can get. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is more of the strong silent type. He’ll show up and get the job done, but he doesn’t have Bellerin’s fire. We could use that passion.

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Third, he provides the one thing we need most moving forward: an outlet to break the press. His electric pace was well documented and utilized under both Wenger and Emery. He is almost a right-winger playing right back sometimes, the way he skips and bursts past the press. Once he has his confidence back, he will be unstoppable.

Now for the other side of the defense.