Saliba 2.0 & £80m striker: Arsenal's dazzling XI once Nwaneri becomes a regular

Saliba 2.0 & £80m striker: Arsenal’s dazzling XI once Nwaneri becomes a regular

Arsenal have done a tremendous job completely overhauling their team in recent seasons.

The team that Mikel Arteta inherited in 2019 and the one that he has today are a million miles apart in terms of quality, and while they haven’t quite got their hands on that elusive Premier League title yet, it feels more like a matter of when and not if with this current crop of stars.

However, football is a fast-moving business, and while fans will be gleefully enjoying the dazzling displays of their current players, the club, Arteta and Edu, will already be putting in the work and planning for the next iteration of this side for a few years time.

It’s unlikely that there will be too many significant changes to the XI in the next couple of seasons, but by the time the 2027/28 season gets underway, there could be a few new faces lighting it up at the Emirates, notably Hale End prodigy Ethan Nwaneri, who looks set for a very bright future at Arsenal.

With that in mind, here is Arsenal’s starting XI for the 2027/28 season, when Nwaneri could well be a regular starter in the side.

GK – David Raya – 31

So, the number one in Arteta’s all-conquering Arsenal side for the 2027/28 season will be none other than David Raya.

He might still be at the club on loan this season, and failing a cataclysmic end to the campaign, it seems written in stone that the club will make his deal permanent.

Moreover, despite a rocky start to life in N5 – to put it diplomatically – the former Blackburn Rovers ace has been quietly putting in some impressive performances at the Emirates, and at 31 years old by the time the season kicks off, he should be completely at home in north London.

RB – Jeremie Frimpong – 26

The first change in the team comes at right-back, as the trustworthy Ben White makes way for the explosive and thrilling Jeremie Frimpong.

There have been fairly consistent reports in recent months that the Gunners will look to activate the rapid full-back’s £34m release clause in the summer, and with nine goals and ten assists in 28 appearances this season, it’s not hard to see why.

The Dutchman’s arrival wouldn’t necessarily spell the end of White’s Arsenal career either, as the Englishman’s impressive versatility could see him fill in across the backline and pick up a good number of appearances each season doing so.

However, with U23 scout Antonio Mango claiming that Frimpong “has no ceiling” and the impressive performances he has already put in for Bayer Leverkusen, this looks like a transfer that could take the club to another level.

CB – Reuell Walters – 22

Another change to the current team can be found at right centre-back as Hale End gem Reuell Walters could well break into the first team and make the position his own in the coming years.

The young Englishman is an incredibly gifted defender and is adept as both a centre-back and a right-back. Still, with slightly more games under his belt as the former, and Oleksandr Zinchenko expressing how “impressed” he was with his strength, he might have a better chance at the centre of defence.

Moreover, data analyst Ben Mattinson has already described the youngster as a “mini-less refined Saliba at RCB”, crediting his “good agility”, “passing ability”, tackling and “good positioning” as the traits that could see him develop into a top central defender.

And hey, what’s better than one William Saliba? You get the rest.

CB – William Saliba – 26

Speak of the devil.

There is no prize for guessing who takes the left centre-back spot in this XI: the indomitable Saliba.

The Frenchman is arguably the most essential member of the team – just look at what happened when he got injured last season – and with him set to still only be 26 years old at the start of the 2027/28 season, it would be unimaginable for Arteta not to select the 6 foot 4 titan.

Aside from injury, the only reason that he might not be in the XI in three and a half years is because a side like Real Madrid have offered the club untold riches for his signature.

LB – Takehiro Tomiyasu – 28

Starting on the left of the Gunners’ defence will be Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu.

The 25-year-old will be 28 at the time, and if he can remain injury-free, he might well overtake Oleksandr Zinchenko as Arteta’s go-to left-back option.

He might not have the passing range of the Ukrainian, but he is an undeniably more sound defensive option, and with Frimpong either marauding down the right flank or cutting inside to help with attacks, Arteta will need his left-back to be more defensively minded and potentially move into a back three when in possession.

DM – Declan Rice – 28

Another absolute no-brainer is Declan Rice, as the midfield “dominator”, as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, simply has to retain his place at the base of midfield.

The former West Ham United captain has been a revelation for the Gunners since making his £105m switch in the summer, and with how the fans have taken to him, it would be shocking to see him leave in such a short time.

CM – Martin Odegaard – 28

The man starting just ahead of Rice, in the eight role that glides from the base of midfield to the edge of the opposition’s penalty area, is none other than captain fantastic himself, Martin Odegaard.

The Norwegian maestro currently starts just ahead of the team’s eight – Kai Havertz – but he has never really been a traditional ten – something highlighted in his heat map – and he has already played 35 games for Arsenal in a more central role.

Additionally, with the likes of Rice, Saliba, Tomiyasu and Walters directly behind him, his job would focus more on getting the ball up the pitch, late runs into the penalty area and recycling possession in midfield.

AM – Ethan Nwaneri – 20

Now, the reason that Odegaard will be set to start that little bit deeper in this XI is down to this man, Ethan Nwaneri.

The Hale End star is only 16 years old at the moment, but when the 2027/28 season rolls around, he’ll be 20, and while that might still seem relatively young, his performances for the youth teams and his overall reputation paint a very, very promising picture.

The Enfield-born prospect already has 20 goals and nine assists to his name in just 42 appearances across the various youth sides, and with an ability to play as a striker or an attacking midfielder, he seems destined to break into the first team sooner rather than later.

Described as “a true goal-scorer” by Ben Mattinson, while he might be useful up top, he’ll be able to have far more influence over proceedings from an attacking midfield role – just think of that Nwaneri Saka link-up.

RW – Bukayo Saka – 25

Rightwing is perhaps the most obvious choice in the entire XI, and, of course, it has to be Hale End superstar Bukayo Saka.

The fan favourite – to put it mildly – will only be 25 years old by the time the season kicks off, and considering he has already racked up 100 goal involvements for the Gunners at age 22, you’d be a fool to bet against him potentially doubling or even tripling that by the start of the 2027/28 season.

Saka is so interwoven with everything good at Arsenal, and the idea that he wouldn’t be a star player five or even ten years from now is unconscionable.

ST – Ivan Toney – 31

The Gunners will have a new face leading the line for the start of the 2027/28 season, and it looks destined to be Brentford’s Ivan Toney.

The Englishman has been touted for a move to the Emirates for years now, but the links and rumours have gone into overdrive in the last few months, and while a move didn’t materialise in January, an £80m – or less – move in the summer looks like a real possibility.

If he can get even close to replicating his form from the 2022/23 season, in which he scored 20 goals in 33 games for Brentford, then Arsenal will surely end their title drought sooner rather than later.

LW – Gabriel Martinelli – 26

The final name in Arteta’s starting XI for the beginning of the 2027/28 season is Brazilian dynamo Gabriel Martinelli.

Arriving for just £6m from a fourth-division club in Brazil, to say Martinelli has exceeded fans’ expectations would be a colossal understatement.

The rapid winger has scored 40 goals and provided 22 assists for the club since he arrived, with some fairly hefty injuries along the way.

His form might not be quite as electric as it was this time last year, but he is indisputably a superstar in the making and, at 26 years old, he’ll truly be a nightmare for Premier League full-backs.

Arsenal’s starting XI in full when Nwaneri is a regular starter: GK – Raya; RB – Frimpong, CB – Walters, CB – Saliba, LB – Tomiyasu; DM – Rice, CM – Odegaard, AM – Nwaneri; RW – Saka, ST – Toney, LW – Martinelli