And we are back.

It has been a long old two weeks as domestic football stepped aside for UEFA new pointless nations league.

After the euphoria of the World Cup, England returned back to its normal status in friendly’s. Boring, disinteresting games that send you to sleep.

It did not take me too long during both games to switch across to watch the cricket highlights followed by the Vuelta Espana. The cricket and cycling have certainly been more exciting then the football.

So we are back today with the near 300 mile and 140 step trip to the Newcastle away end. I once read that the furthest seat from the centre circle in St James Park was a quarter of a mile away. You are certainly up with the gods in the away end.

After two weeks with no football, Newcastle begins a run of 7 games in 23 days.

After using a core group of players in the opening 4 games – just 13 have started a game – Unai Emery is going to have to begin shuffling his pack.

This starts this weekend as it is about time Lucas Torreira started.

Uruguay played just once during the international break, with Torriera playing just 45 minutes of football. He should be fit and raring to go.

I would bring him straight in for Matteo Guendouzi.

The teenage Frenchman has quickly become a fans favourite but football has no place for favourites. We need to play our best midfield and at the moment that is:

Ramsey Torreira Xhaka

Start all 3 and it gives us the solid bank in front of the defence, also covering the full backs when they bomb forward.

With Arsenal set to play every mid-week up until the next international break – and potentially every mid week after until the middle of November, Guendouzi will still get plenty of game time to continue his development.

Other than Torreira the starting XI will come from that core group of 13 (minus Ainsley maitland-Niles) who have started a game this season.

The only real decision will be over which 2 starts between Henrikh Mkhitaryn, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette,

I expect Petr Cech to continue in goal. Whilst I do not agree with this, he is Emery’s umber one and I back the Spaniard.

Bernd Leno will surely start every mid week game, and it is only then we will be able to fully judge if Emery has made the right decision. Some good performances in the mid week games over the next 23 days could see him pushing Cech when players return after the October international break.

The mid week team (injury permitting) will look something like:

Leno

Lichtsteiner Mavropanos Holding Kolasinac

Guendouzi Maitland-Niles Elneny

Iwobi Smith-Rowe

Welbeck

The likes of Eddie Nketiah, Joe Wilock, Xavier Amaechi & Tyreece John-Jules will also all see some game time, although it will probably be from the bench.

Whilst it is important for teenagers to get some senior game time; it is also key to keep senior players like Elneny, Iwobi and Welbeck match sharp.

They are superior players to the youngsters, and will be the ones stepping up if someone from the weekend side picks up an injury.

Now I am off for a long old train journey to the North-East.

Up The Arsenal

Keenos

Follow @KeenosAFC

During the week the “official” club squads for the Premier League were announced.

For those who don’t know the rules (surely we all do), a reminder:

Premier League squads are limited to 25 players

No more than 17 non-home grown players may be named

A home grown player is someone who has spent 3 years in England before turning 21

Players born on or after January 1st 1997 do not need to be included

The naming of the squad not only shows what we have to use this season, but also how the squad is going to look in future seasons – and how our transfers may be impacted by squad size and non-home grown player slots.

Arsenal named 23 man Premier League squad with 15 non-home grown players.

It leaves us with two spaces for a non-home grown senior player, meaning that in January we can make two signings without either having to sell a player or unregister someone. We do not need to worry about where the signings come from.

The squad announcement highlights the importance of the likes of Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck as home grown squad players.

Were we to have sold both in the summer (as some wanted) we either would have had to use non-home grown player squad to replace them, or sign home grown players.

When you consider that Welbeck is in the England squad, there are not too many home grown strikers ahead of him. Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford.

Looking forward, you would expect Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny to be in the last year at the club. That will free up 2 non-home grown places next summer (4 in total if we don’t make a January signing).

Danny Welbeck is also almost certainly to leave which will give us 4 senior squad slots, with a 4/1 split on non-home grown / home grown.

Carl Jenkinson will also surely leave

That’ll leave us with 6 squad places free before other departures

4 non-home grown; 2 home grown.

At this point, I want to share the belief that Nacho Monreal and Stephan Lichtsteiner will sign further one year deals.

Whilst Arsenal will have the natural loss giving them 6 free slots, 2 of these will be filled by players currently under 21.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles becomes a senior player next year. As does Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Mavropanos will also take up a non-home grown player space.

The promotion of these two players reduces us to 4 slots.

3 non-home grown & 1 home grown.

The development of Matteo Guendouzi could be key in the short term.

Next season he is still U21, which means that he does not take up a squad place.

He has seemingly moved ahead of Mohamed Elneny this season and, if he continues his fine form and with the returning Maitland-Niles, Arsenal could sell Elneny to free up a non-home grown squad.

This would all depend on Aaron Ramsey signing a new contract. If he does sign, and Elneny leaves, it would still leave us with 5 central midfielders (Ramsey, Xhaka, Torreira, AMN, Guendouzi).

Keeping any eye on the run-rate, Elneny departing would give us 4 non-home grown player slots and 1 home grown player slot.

I have also just noticed Cohen Brammal was registered as a non-home grown player. He will also surely not be registered next year taking us up 5 available non-home grown slots.

With regards to replacing those who have been sold:

I do not expect us to sign someone to replace Petr Cech. Both Emiliano Martinez and Deyan Illiev have been named in this seasons squad. Both are home grown. It would be silly wasting one of the non-home grown slots on a second choice goalkeeper. We also have Matt Macey to return.

Laurent Koscielny will be replaced. We will buy a centre back next season. It is a priority position. We will scour the globe to get the best we can (leaving us 4/1 in squad slots).

Despite having 5 midfielders, I would expect us to replace Elneny. We will target a top central midfielder. Someone better than Granit Xhaka who will be competing straight away with the trio of Xhaka / Torreira / Ramsey for a starting place. AMN and Guendouzi will them back these up (3/1).

In terms of replacing Welbeck, I do not think we will go out and sign someone.

He is currently 3rd choice striker and an option on the wing. His two roles in the squad will be covered by Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson – neither of whom will require registering.

Another person to take into account is Calum Chambers – currently on loan at Fulham.

One of two things will happen next season:

1. Chambers will be sold
2. Chambers will return and Holding sold

With a new centre back it would give us the options of Sokratis, new CB, Mustafi, Holding/Chambers & Mavropanos. You do not need more than 5 centre backs in your squad.

So that will leave us with 2 slots available; one home grown, the other non-home grown.

If we want to buy in more, we will have to sell. Bellerin, Mustafi, Xhaka, Litchsteiner, Monreal or Kolasinac could all depart on the basis that the player coming in would be a direct replacement.

All in all, Arsenal are in a comfortable place with regards to the balance of their squad. We now just need to continue improving the quality.

Final though on this.

Despite their fans continually boasting about their brilliant home grown squad filled with young talent, Tottenham have the maximum (17) non-home grown players AND haven’t registered Vincent Jansen

They need to sell players before they can buy from abroad.

The other top 6 clubs are in a worse position than Arsenal. All having 1 free slot for a non-home grown player; although they all have 3 or 4 players who will naturally leave in 12 months.

Keenos