•Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal start their bid for Champions League glory against Athletic Bilbao tomorrow powered by a new-look attack revitalised by the Gunners’ summer spending spree.
Mikel Arteta’s side reached the semi-finals of Europe’s top competition for the first time since 2009 last season before losing to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, reports AFP.
Arsenal also fell short in the Premier League, where they ended as runners-up for a third consecutive season, partly due to a misfiring forward line.
Arteta set about remedying that issue over the close-season, with Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze adding extra firepower and depth to the Arsenal attack.
With Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus all sidelined by injury in the opening weeks of the new campaign, that expensive overhaul has already proved a wise investment.
Arteta’s new trio all impressed in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
England winger Madueke has been in superb form in Saka’s absence, while Sweden striker Gyokeres netted against Forest to make it three goals in his first four appearances.
Eze made his full debut against Forest on the left wing and provided the assist for Gyokeres, while Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi struck twice for his first Arsenal goals since arriving from Real Sociedad in the summer.
Arsenal have won three of their opening four Premier League games of the campaign and only fell to a 1-0 defeat at title rivals Liverpool due to Dominik Szoboszlai’s brilliant late free-kick.
The pressure, though, is on Arteta to deliver the club’s first trophy since 2020 after years of heavy investment in the transfer market.
“It doesn’t matter what we want to do, it is what we have to do,” said the Basque coach, who returns to his home region this week.
– ‘It’s fun for me’ –
Ahead of their Champions League opener in Bilbao, there was one dark cloud on Arteta’s otherwise ideal afternoon against Forest.
Captain Martin Odegaard limped off after 17 minutes with a shoulder injury.
Arteta didn’t rule the Norway midfielder out of the trip to Spain, saying: “We have to assess him with the doctors and see, but I’m sure he will try his best to be fit for Tuesday.”
But if Odegaard is sidelined, the onus will be on Eze and company to take the attack to Athletic as they look to make a strong start to their European challenge.
Arsenal have never won the Champions League and last lifted the Premier League in 2004.
Ending that barren run would be a dream come true for Eze, who was released by Arsenal as a 13-year-old.
The England international has enjoyed a meteoric rise since that rejection, earning his way back to Arsenal after starring in Palace’s FA Cup-winning run last season.
Now he is set to taste Champions League football for the first time in his career.
“It’s fun for me. This is why I play football. These are opportunities that you want. This is it for me, so I am enjoying it as much as I can,” Eze said.
“It is special and it’s not everyone that gets to experience these types of moments.”
