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Mikel Arteta is here to stay. Wednesday brought about confirmation that he has signed a contract extension to remain Arsenal manager until 2030. To date, he has overseen 361 matches, winning 220 of them, guiding the Gunners to their first Premier League title in 22 years.
Everything has changed during Arteta's reign, so let's look back at his first-ever starting lineup, a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Boxing Day 2019.
GK: Bernd Leno - Fulham
Bernd Leno was the number one goalkeeper back than, and is possibly underrated as an Arsenal player, making countless unbelievable saves while playing for a poor side. He was sold to Fulham in the summer of 2022 and, since his debut, has played every minute of all 155 Premier League games for the Cottagers.
RB: Ainsley Maitland-Niles - Everton
Ainsley Maitland-Niles never really found a position at Arsenal, which ultimately led to his departure. After four years abroad at Roma and Olympique Lyonnais, he returned to England on deadline day, joining Everton, announcing himself by scoring a jaw-dropping long-range equaliser against Man United.
CB: David Luiz - Pafos
David Luiz very much falls into the category of, I can't believe he is still playing. Now 39 years old, the Brazilian is with Cypriot side Pafos, helping them qualify for the Champions League for the first time ever last season, scoring against Monaco, now their club captain.
CB: Sokratis Papastathopoulos - Retired
When looking back at Arsenal's "banter era", Sokratis Papastathopoulos is one of the players who comes to mind as simply not up to the level required. After leaving the club in 2021, the Greek defender played for Olympiacos and Real Betis, before retiring two summers ago at the age of 36.
LB: Bukayo Saka - Arsenal
The only member of the entire matchday squad still at Arsenal is Bukayo Saka. Having just broken into the first team, the teenager was starting to flourish at a left-back, albeit it was clear pretty quickly that his talents were being wasted at the back.
CDM: Lucas Torreira - Galatasaray
For six months or so, Gooners believed Lucas Torreira was the real deal, before his star quickly faded. The Uruguayan was loaned out to Atlético Madrid and Fiorentina, before being sold to Galatasaray in 2022, making over 180 appearances for the İstanbul giants to date, still a key player there.
CM: Granit Xhaka - Sunderland
Granit Xhaka's up and down Arsenal career concluded with him departing for Bayer Leverkusen, enjoying enormous success with die Werkself. Thus, it was a massive surprise when he returned to the Premier League to sign for Sunderland just over a year ago but, at the age of 34, the Swiss international remains one of the best midfielders in the division.
CAM: Mesut Özil - Retired
During the first three months of Arteta's reign, before lockdown, he was doing all he could to get the best out of Mesut Özil. However, the German would never play for the club again once project restart took full effect. He subsequently played for Fenerbahçe and İstanbul Başakşehir, before retiring at the age of 34 in 2023.
RW: Reiss Nelson - Feyenoord
Up until very recently, Reiss Nelson was still an Arsenal player, despite having not represented the club since August 2024. Following mixed loan spells at Fulham and Brentford, the 26 year old rejoined Feyenoord on deadline day, having spent the 2021/22 season on loan in Rotterdam. He made his second Eredivisie debut against Utrecht last month, hoping to rediscover his best form.
LW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Deportivo A Coruña
Even at 37 years old, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may remain one of the best centre-forwards on the planet. Since being bombed out by Arteta, the Gabonese striker has not stayed anywhere very long, playing for Barcelona, Chelsea, Olympique de Marseille, Al Qadsiah and then Marseille again.
This summer, he joined Deportivo A Coruña, who are back in La Liga after eight seasons away. Amazingly, Aubameyang scored in each of his first five appearances for Dépor, showing that he has still got it.
ST: Alexandre Lacazette - Neom SC
For a time, Alexandre Lacazette was a lethal finisher at Arsenal, before fading physically very quickly. The striker thereby re-joined boyhood club Olympique Lyonnais in 2022, before heading to Saudi Arabia three years later. Now 35, Lacazette has scored 18 goals in 41 outings for Neom SC, based in a city that does not exist, including five to start the new Saudi Pro League season.
Arsenal's starting lineup vs Bournemouth - Boxing Day 2019
- Leno; Maitland-Niles, Papastathopoulos, David Luiz, Saka; Torreira, Xhaka, Özil; Nelson, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
- Substitutes: Used - Shkodran Mustafi, Joe Willock and Nicolas Pépé. Unused - Emi Martínez, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Mattéo Guendouzi and Emile Smith Rowe.
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