PITA’s Arsenal Player of the Month – July 2022

A stellar pre-season had many supporters hopeful of a successful opening night at Selhurst Park.

The Gunners enjoyed an unbeaten summer ahead of the 2022/23 season, and Arsenal’s impressive form continued with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace to kick-start their Premier League campaign.

This season, we’ll be dishing out a Player of the Month award based on the player ratings we’ve handed out for every game covered – starting with July. Arsenal’s pre-season began early last month with a victory over Nurnberg in Germany before Mikel Arteta’s side won three from three on their US tour. A 6-0 rout of Sevilla in the Emirates Cup concluded their joyful summer.

To calculate the star performer from July, we tallied up all the ratings from the aforementioned games before working out an average rating for each player. As there were five games, players must’ve made at least three appearances to qualify.

PITA’s Arsenal Player of the Month – July 2022

So, without further ado, let’s see who’s claimed the first PITA Player of the Month award for the 2022/23 season! I reckon you might have an inkling…

3. Martin Odegaard (Average Rating – 7.75)

Sliding in at third is the new skipper Martin Odegaard.

The Norwegian international enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2021/22 after a rather quiet loan spell in north London, and his dazzling form continued into the summer.

Odegaard was absent for the win in Germany, but he was majestic in the States as the Gunners put Everton, Orlando City and Chelsea to the sword. The creative dynamo starred against Orlando and got on the scoresheet against the Blues with a pinpoint finish.

The former Real Madrid wonderkid is expected to face stiffer competition for a starting berth following the arrival of Fabio Vieira from Porto, but Odegaard’s superb summer firmly placed him at the forefront of Arteta’s thinking.

2. Bukayo Saka (Average Rating – 8.0)

This time last year, Saka was receiving standing ovations from stadia across the country after he was subject to abhorrent online abuse in the wake of England’s Euro 2020 final defeat.

His late return to pre-season disrupted Arsenal’s opening to the 2021/22 season.

On this occasion, though, the Gunners’ starboy is already fit and firing. The ebullient winger enjoyed a productive US tour as he netted against both Everton and Chelsea. His most impressive display, however, came in the 6-0 thumping of Sevilla as he was awarded a 9.0 rating for his efforts. The Spaniards couldn’t cope with Saka’s variance in possession and relentlessness without it as he bagged a brace.

1. Gabriel Jesus (Average Rating – 9.0)

Well, duh!

You knew this was coming, folks. After joining from Manchester City at the start of July, Jesus went on to enjoy a spectacular pre-season. His impact was immediate. 2-0 down at half-time against Nurnberg, the introduction of the Brazilian turned the tide in an instant. Jesus scored twice and was seemingly involved in every goal as the Gunners scored five times in the second period.

He has transformative potential, and such brilliance continued to manifest across the pond before he returned to north London to score his first hat-trick at the Emirates against Sevilla.

Jesus’ ratings from July read: 9.0, 9.0. 9.0, 8.0. 10.0. That’s quite the start, eh?

The new arrival blew the competition out of the water for the July POTM award, and you suspect that might not be the last time he tops our ratings charts this season.