FPL team previews – Arsenal: Best players, predicted XI + more

Our 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) team previews continue with Arsenal, who finished only five points behind champions Manchester City last season.

In these club-by-club guides, we’ll be looking at the best players, taking a stab at a predicted line-up for Gameweek 1, reviewing pre-season and more.

You can read our stats-based review of the Gunners’ 2022/23 season here.

Data in this article comes from our Premium Members Area, which you can access with a discounted pre-season subscription.

ARSENAL: REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

Mikel Arteta’s free-scoring team led the Premier League for much of last season and now have an even stronger squad, with big money spent on Declan Rice (£5.5m), Kai Havertz (£7.5m) and Jurrien Timber (£5.0m).

All three new signings started at Wembley last weekend, and Havertz’s misses aside, looked the part.

The Gunners kept 14 clean sheets in 2022/23 and the capture of Rice should further strengthen them at the back, with Arteta able to pair him with Thomas Partey (£5.0m) in tougher fixtures, as per the Community Shield.

ARSENAL: REASONS TO BE FEARFUL

It’s hard to pick holes in the current Arsenal squad, but could Granit Xhaka’s exit have a bigger impact than most realise?

Arteta spoke about the Swiss international’s “crucial” influence before he left for Bayer Leverkusen, and using Havertz or Leandro Trossard (£7.0m) in a ‘left-8’ role on a regular basis could potentially disrupt the balance.

A UEFA Champions League campaign could add further complications and you’d expect Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur to improve next year, making it much more competitive at the top

SUMMER TRANSFER ACTIVITY

Injuries in key positions ultimately cost Arsenal last year, with Arteta saying:

“At the level we want [we don’t have the depth]. We didn’t have the capacity to do that as well with the Europa League so it’s part of that evolution.”

As a result, the Gunners have spent big on Rice, Havertz and Timber, getting their business done nice and early.

The former is the standout name, but Timber can play anywhere across the backline, while Havertz’s versatility means he can also operate in multiple positions.

The imminent arrival of goalkeeper David Raya (£5.0m) will further strengthen the squad, too.

• READ MORE: FPL new transfers: Will Havertz be worth buying at Arsenal?
• READ MORE: Arsenal midfielders: Who is the best pick in FPL 2023/24?

PRE-SEASON REPORT

A 5-3 win against Barcelona in Los Angeles and a 1-1 draw with Monaco in the Emirates Cup provided a strong finish to Arsenal’s pre-season.

Trossard has been used in various positions but his best work came down the left flank against Barcelona.

Overall, the Belgian scored four times in pre-season, while Saka was responsible for two goals and three assists.

An injury Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) was undoubtedly the low point, but even without him, Arsenal went toe-to-toe with treble-winners Manchester City in last weekend’s Community Shield, a match they eventually won on penalties.

OPENING FIXTURES

It’s four home matches in six Gameweeks for Arsenal at the start of the campaign, albeit with two of them against Manchester United and north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

However, it’s the first three matches that will really appeal, starting with the visit of Nottingham Forest, the Premier League’s worst travellers in 2022/23.

Gameweek 3 opponents Fulham had the fourth-best defensive away record last season but massively overachieved, largely thanks to Bernd Leno (£4.5m), with Opta ranking them 17th for expected goals conceded (xGC) away from home.

A trip to Bournemouth in Gameweek 7 continues the favourable run but things toughen up between Gameweeks 8 and 11.

SET-PIECE TAKERS

Mikel Arteta backed Bukayo Saka after missing a penalty in mid-April.

He also failed to convert against Barcelona in pre-season, but Saka is still expected to continue from 12 yards.

Arsenal were very good at set-pieces last term and managed to register 150 shots from such situations, a tally that ranked fifth among all top-flight sides.

Saka and Gabriel Martinelli (£8.0m) were responsible for most of their corners, with Odegaard taking 9/16 direct free-kicks.

PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 1 LINE-UP

Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of 2022/23 with the knee injury he picked up in pre-season, so Arteta may use one of Havertz or Trossard as a false nine.

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.0m) is only just back in training after missing the entire pre-season programme, so Timber is expected to continue at left-back, having given a good account of himself at Wembley.

The rest of the backline looks settled, with Aaron Ramsdale (£5.0m) at least starting the season between the sticks.

In midfield, Arteta could choose to continue with Community Shield trio Partey, Martin Odegaard (£8.5m) and Rice, or replace the former with a more attacking option.

BEST FPL OPTIONS

Saka, Odegaard and Martinelli all finished among FPL’s top-five scoring midfielders in 2022/23, with the trio separated by just 14 points.

Saka is the most-owned midfielder in FPL (58.6%) at the time of writing, which is no surprise given that he was one of just two players to hit double figures for both goals and assists last season. Given that he’s nailed and on penalties, he is the safest option.

Still, the underlying stats suggest that Odegaard and Martinelli are viable alternatives.

Despite starting from a deeper position, Odegaard scored 15 goals and assisted eight others in 2022/23, as he reached 212 points. He also ranked top among teammates for expected goal involvement (xGI):

As for Martinelli, he also found the net 15 times. He actually beat Odegaard for assists (nine) but the playmaker had far more bonus points.

Of the trio, Odegaard averaged 84 minutes per appearance, followed by Saka on 83.5 and Martinelli on 77.3, which could be crucial in light of the Premier League’s new injury time rule.

Defensive titan Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.0m) started every Premier League match last term and there isn’t much competition for him beyond 23-year-old Jakub Kiwior (£4.5m).

The Brazilian scored three set-piece goals in 2022/23 and posted superior goal threat numbers to all of his defensive colleagues. In fact, his 32 shots ranked joint third among all FPL defenders. Five of those efforts were Opta-defined ‘big chances’, which is two more than all of Arsenal’s other defenders combined.

ONES FOR THE WATCHLIST

There is probably a bit too much uncertainty with Trossard and Havertz to include them in the above section of our coverage, but there is potential for both to shine in the early weeks.

Despite only making his Arsenal debut in late January, Trossard racked up 10 assists in 20 Premier League appearances (10 starts) last season.

Havertz, meanwhile, started up front with Jesus absent in the Community Shield and was presented with a couple of very good chances in the first half.

It’d just be nice to know where they will play, if they even have a fixed position at all.

FAN Q&A

We’ve enlisted the help of last year’s champion FPL Gunz/Ali for our fan Q&A.

Our thanks go to him for his answers below.

Who or what has caught your eye in pre-season at your club?

“I have been very impressed with Trossard’s performances in all the pre-season games. I do wonder if he could play himself into the first XI.”

Who would be the top two FPL picks you’d go for at your club and why?

“Saka and Gabriel would be the safest picks because of guaranteed minutes. With the arrival of Declan Rice, I think Arsenal will improve defensively and Gabriel is a standout option.

“There are a couple of other good attacking options to consider such as Odegaard, Martinelli and Havertz but with UEFA Champions League games coming up later, rotations can hit heavily.”

Will you own any of your club’s players in Gameweek 1?

“I will have a triple-up on Gabriel, Saka and Trossard but im still tinkering!”