Who will shine brightest for Arsenal in pre-season?

The Arsenal squad are due to arrive in Asia next Monday, ready to participate in the Barclays Asian trophy with a game against the Singapore select XI team on the Wednesday followed by another game against either Stoke City of Everton to determine the winner, assuming that the Gunners win our first game of course.

Now while Arsenal will want and even expect to win the trophy, the main aims of this tour are to boost our global commercial profile and give the fans in Asia a chance to see their heroes live. More importantly in my opinion is the chance to get the players fit and ready for what could be a great season for the club. It also gives the players a chance to set down a marker and prove to Arsene Wenger that they should be in the first team and not just the squad.

So for the likes of Debuchy and Bellerin, Gibbs and Monreal, Chamberlain, Gnabry, Walcott, Welbeck, Gabriel, Wilshere and many more, this Asian tour is very important. I also think it is massive for Olivier Giroud, as an underwhelming showing from the Frenchman could well force Arsene Wenger into the transfer market for a new centre forward. So lots of Arsenal fans will be hoping the big man has a bit of a shocker but I think he could use it to prove his doubters wrong.

Who else do you think needs to really impress in this early pre-season period and which Arsenal stars will shine brightest in Singapore?

Tags Giroud Gnabry Walcott

44 Comments

  1. Let the matches begin, missed watching this team play. buzzing to see Our Young Guns play(bielik, zealalem, Crowley and akpom. Up Gunners

    1. Wished we had made a few more signings so we could have watched them in action. I’m mostly looking forward to seeing bielik play. He’s definitely one for the future.he could do a fabregas.zelalem is another youngster who has a bright future.is gnabry fit???missed watching him play..

      1. Gnabry is fit but was with the Germany U21’s so will be back later probably miss the Asia tour. Same with Chambers I’d expect.

    2. i dn’t care who shines in pre-season……. Does that have to do with the EPL?…… Seriously judging form by playing singaporeans?

  2. Let the matches begin, missed watching this team play. buzzing to see Our Young Guns play(bielik, zealalem, Crowley and akpom) and Cechhhh. Up Gunners

    1. Finally going to watch wellington Silva. After 4 years its finally happening. he was in for trainig today. I hope he fulfils that huge potential he has. If he dows I realyy don’t think a winger will be coming to Arsenal this summer

        1. He played in a very dfensive Almeria team. That was very good for him as he improved so much defensively. He is very similar to ox and has got a great change of pace. when you have guys like Silva Sanchez and OX on the wings then you know your flanks are protected. I have high hopes for him.

      1. At first I have to admit I’ve never watched him play, but he hasn’t scored a single goal in 35 matches for Almeria. At 22 years his market value is about 1m. So what makes you think he’s gonna break into this Arsenal squad?

  3. If Dzeko goes to roma for 15m and we are stuck with giroud AGAIN for another season and not win a major trophy, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU ARSENE…There are a couple of WC forwards available these transfer period unlike other seasons so there should be no bs like “WE SEARCHED THE WHOLE WORLD BUT COULDN’T FIND BETTER THAN WE ALREADY HAVE!!!!!”…Imagine the unbeaten arsenal without henry, a chelsea without drogba, man city without aguero etc or if it makes it easier for you, replace giroud with those players…This guys should be third choice behind walcott and the new super guy

    1. We need a striker,but giroud should not be 3rd choice. This giroud guy that your talking about has scored 20 goals in each of the last two seasons.he is above an average striker.I know we need a world class striker but giroud should be second choice. Great substitute to have on the bench.Theo should be used on the wing because of his speed…most important of all we need a DM. DM should be our top priority, arteta is going to cost us lots of points

    2. seriously, this dude wants Dzeko?……… Quite sure u ain’t hungry for trophies

  4. Off topic. Are we really going to settle with arteta as our backup to lecoq???is Wenger trying to save money??? We have 70 mil to spend and we only used 10…60 left…who are we going to sign???or are we ganna end up with nobody???

    1. Good things come to those that wait. Remember Ozil and Sanchez? Their transfers didn’t happen right after the window opened.

  5. Hard to judge anything in
    the knock about games.
    Easy for the ‘B’ graders to
    look good in preseason.
    Walcott Chamberlain Gnabry
    Sanogo Campbell Wilshere will look like
    world beaters. Bielick Crowley Akpom Zelalem
    may get a run too and of course Cech.
    Would prefer we saved the legs of the “A” team
    especially Mertz Kos Cazorla Ozil + Ramsey
    Arsenal will still sign a DM no doubt.
    Arteta is the 3rd in line at best.
    Arsenal will sign another attacker.
    Avoiding injuries will be a real fillip.

      1. Yes for sure.
        If Coq was out with
        a season ending injury
        we will not be relying on Arteta alone.
        Arteta is a 3rd choice cover player.
        Old head in the squad. Also being rewarded
        for loyalty during the bleak years.
        Have a feeling Rosicky will end up staying too.

      1. Just hate the fact that
        they are all so badly
        injury prone.
        Ox was bought for 12 mill
        4 years ago and has barely
        fired a shot.
        Walcott one good season in 8.
        Wilshere 6 seasons yet to play
        more than half a season.
        So we play 3 short season after season
        when we could have players who play.

        1. Walcott has had more than one good season and that one good season you mention was actually a very good season.

          1. One trick pony one season wonder … Should be moving on but the dilusional one will give him his shot at CF so need an alternative attacking option …griezman would do or convert drexler in to more attacking player or Pedro or Lucas from psg ….all would do

  6. Before we get into the weather Giroud is good or not, lets establish the fact that he is not leaving this summer.. Wenger likes him, but he does realise that if he gets injured or looses form there is an immediate lack of goals from the team, Ive seen people write about how Walcott or Akpom may come good, but till its happened its Wishful thinking. I think the sensible option would be sign someone like Benzema if possible, that is a proven goal scorer instead of taking unecessary risks that bank on the hopes of someone like walcott remaining injury free and akpom pulling a ‘harry kane’ this season. Also with another striker there is the added benefit of a different tactical approach, because sometimes with our attacks are very entertaining but don’t produce anything (like a monkey on a tricycle). So the addition of another striker/attacking forward is a must regardless of Girouds pre season

  7. Don’t really see what people’s problem with Arteta is. Seem to be writing him off based on nothing. Was playing well last season before injury. Judge him on pre season but he can still do a job. Also don’t think he’ll effect the decision of anyone new coming in at all. I Think someone will come in Flamini will leave and Arteta will be 3rd choice.

    1. But will Flamini leave though? He seems quite happy to stay, even on the bench. Looks like the club aren’t desperate to get rid of him either.

    2. Alan frank your sure we will get a DM and arteta vwould be 3rd choice??? How confident are you???

      1. He is just talking through his a$$, just like everyone here. Nobody knows anything but Arsene and a couple of people close to him and that’s it. Everything else, and I mean everything else is pure speculation.And by the way I am not even seeing any speculation about us buying anybody in the speculation sites anymore!
        So we will just have to wait, cross our fingers and hope that Arsene does the right thing.

    3. I think with the arrival of another defensive-minded midfielder, Flamini would get the nudge and pack his bags. However, we should target a player with potential to grow yet at a price that still allows for a luxury signing (£10-20 million – Wenger knows best in this range). Depending on how much we spend, it would change the quality of luxury player we can buy.

  8. I’d like to see Wellington Silva play. Very talented guy, skilful and not afraid to take players on. An exciting player, though he still needs to improve a lot.

  9. I deviate here: when I told you guys that the only biz Arsene is going to do this summer has been done in Cech, some idiots were jumping about on me like crazed chipmunks. Now we are almost in the wake of pre-season and only a handful of under aged kids have been added to the ranks as I predicted except for an oldie whose been rewarded with more than £3M of our money for sitting around on the bench and in the dressing room. All the defensive midfielders of note have been bought or about to be by ambitious teams. Top strikers are gone and what are we left with, Giroud and Wellbeck? What are we going to achieve with these two as our main strikers? Zilch! Petr Cech has been duped into coming here as I bet you, he’ll have to wait till he’s probably 40 before he lays his hands on another silverware again. Arsene is a joke and his sell by date had long gone. Wait until the end of May 2016 and we would have won nothing before you try and shoot me. And this is if we do not strengthen and strengthen now in MF & a proven No 9. Giroud doesn’t do it for me and I’m sure most right thinking Arsenal fans would agree!

    1. 7 more weeks in the transfer window. Have a little bit of patience. Everybody is looking to buy players. City is still looking, Manu just bought one, Chelsea is looking, and I am sure Arsene is as well. Yes, i agree that giving Arteta an extension does not bode well for a new DM coming in. But let’s wait a few more weeks before we judge.

      1. I respect your take on things and will be patient. What I don’t want us to be left with is the crumbs when every team else has taken the best! With our manager, he tends to leave it far too late.

  10. The preseason Asia tour will give Arsene a chance to see how the likes of Zelalem & Gnabry have progressed. All I really care about is beating Chavs in the Community & our players having a healthy season. So tired of losing players for 6 months. I want Jack, Theo, Ox, etc to get a full season of play.

  11. Ther are players like Lucas Moura who are at the same age as him and do bring players like Wellington Silva into shame. Dont expect anything big from him.

    Ryo Miaichi, Wellington Silva, Denilson. nahh, not good enough.

  12. Interested in seeing Crowley, Bielik, Zelalem, Hayden, Gnabry, Silva because we may or may not see them during the season, depending on How they perform. I’m hoping Bielik can show something being a defensive midfielder but being 17 Maybe not ready to play DM for senior squad. I hope he becomes a great DM someday

  13. Jack, Ox, Theo, Welbeck, Gnabry, Gabriel, Debuchy, Coq, Gibbs, all these players have something to prove after last season. Coq has to prove that he is the real thing. The others have to prove that after their long term injuries they are ready to contribute and fight for a spot in the first team.
    It will be fun to watch…

  14. He we go again on our pre season tour. When are we going to get our business done earl, so the new arrivals can gel together with the rest of the team.

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