Mikel Arteta is keen to raise the level of competition within his Arsenal squad this summer.
In terms of his defensive contingent, he has already done that with the signing of Riccardo Calafiori. The Italian’s arrival at Arsenal will see him compete for game time at left-back as well as in the heart of the defence.
This means that the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior, and Gabriel Magalheas will all have to be on top form in order to feature regularly in Mikel Arteta’s starting XIs.
Zinchenko has embraced this extra competition, and Arteta will want to see such battles existing within his squad all over the pitch.
Arsenal fans want Simon Adingra to be signed from Brighton & Hove Albion this summer, and believe that the winger would raise the level of competition for game time in North London.
Simon Adringa threatens Gabriel Martinelli at Arsenal
If Adingra does join the Gunners in this summer transfer window, then he will offer cover and competition for both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
However, it is hard to imagine Saka’s status as the first choice pick coming under any serious threat. Meanwhile, Martinelli has arguably already fallen behind Leandro Trossard in the pecking order on the left wing.
By his own standards, the Brazilian endured a difficult season last time out. He needs to get back to his best quickly, and still has plenty to prove after pre-season. Martinelli was criticised by Arsenal fans after his showing against Lyon in a recent friendly.
What’s more, Adingra is right-footed. Arteta prefers his wingers to naturally invert, with the right-footed Martinelli cutting in off the left, and the left-footed Saka doing the same from the right wing. This makes Adingra a more natural replacement option for Martinelli.
Martinelli has welcomed competition at Arsenal, but he could find that his opportunities to get back to his best become limited if Trossard is able to maintain his form and Adingra joins the club and hits the ground running.
Fabio Vieira could lose out to Adingra
Martinelli is not the only Arsenal player who could suffer as a result of Adingra’s arrival. Fabio Vieira deputised for Saka on the right flank for the first half of a recent friendly against Bayer Leverkusen, and looked an awkward fit in the role.
The Portuguese ace is still yet to nail down a place in the team though, and further competition could restrict his opportunities to do so further.
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