Three returning Arsenal loanees who deserve a chance in pre-season, one tipped to be ‘difference maker’ by Mikel Arteta

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Arsenal know they cannot afford to head into the new season light on numbers in their squad.

Arsenal were plagued by injuries and suspensions last season and despite making some excellent additions in Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori, last summer’s transfer business was not good enough.

Andrea Berta is in negotiations with RB Leipzig over a move for Benjamin Sesko but the Gunners also have the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze on their radar in order to strengthen their attack.

Mikel Arteta will have evaluated his squad as a whole and instructed Berta with exactly what he wants, however, some of those solutions may already be at the club.

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Three returning Arsenal loanees who must be given a chance in pre-season

Arsenal had six first-team players out on loan last season and all made an impact for their respective clubs.

Nuno Tavares has joined Lazio on a permanent deal following his loan spell, whilst Brazilian winger Marquinhos has also left North London to move to Cruzeiro.

Arteta has some exceptional players returning to the club and with a good pre-season, these players may yet play a part in ending Arsenal’s trophy drought next campaign.

Reiss Nelson

Reiss Nelson’s loan spell at Fulham was cut short after the winger required hamstring surgery just when he was hitting his stride in West London.

Arsenal are prepared to sell Nelson this summer but it is no secret that Arteta is a big fan of the Hale End graduate.

With a good pre-season behind him, Nelson showed enough quality last season that he could provide back-up to Bukayo Saka and allow Arsenal to spend big in other areas of the pitch.

Arteta’s prediction on Nelson was that he would go to a ‘different level’ after signing his new contract back in 2023 – this can be his chance to prove the manager right.

Fabio Vieira

Fabio Vieira is a player that has divided Arsenal fans since his £34m arrival from Porto in 2022. Some feel the 25-year-old was not given a fair chance under Arteta before being sent back to Portugal on loan.

Porto do not want to sign Vieira given the financial package involved with the player and therefore Arteta should give him a chance in pre-season to prove that he can make the grade with the Gunners.

Martin Odegaard was below-par last season and Vieira’s ability to pick a pass in the final third could be useful to have in the squad, especially against low-block defences at the Emirates Stadium.

Albert Sambi Lokonga

Albert Sambi Lokonga is somewhat of a forgotten man at Arsenal arriving back from his loan spell at Sevilla in La Liga.

The Spanish media were impressed by Lokonga last season and the player had a successful spell in the Premier League with Luton Town during the 2023-24 campaign.

He has matured since he first broke into Arteta’s side and is worth a look at how much he has progressed during pre-season.

With clashes against Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan on the horizon, Arsenal have considerable opponents to see how Lokonga fares in midfield.