The opposite fate of the first squad under Arteta’s reign at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta took over at Arsenal in December 2019, taking a look back at the starting line-up from his first game, the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth on Gift Day 2019.

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Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno

Leno leaves Arsenal after four seasons in 2022, joining Fulham after losing his place to Aaron Ramsdale. Fortunately, Leno performed very well last season at Fulham.

Right-back: Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Maitland-Niles was an unexpected link in Arteta’s initial squad, helping the Gunners win the FA Cup in 2020 and helping beat Liverpool in the Community Shield. But he was sent to Roma on loan in January 2022, then to Southampton and now he is a free agent.

  Centre-Back : Sokratis

Despite some encouraging performances under Emery, Sokratis was eventually dropped from Arteta’s starting line-up. He joined Olympiacos, where he remains to this day.

  Centre-Back : David Luiz

Luiz’s status as a leader and mentor to young players led Arteta to hand him a new contract in 2020, before the Brazil international left a year later. The defender has now returned to Brazil with Flamengo.

Left-back: Bukayo Saka

From the fledgling full-back to the elite striker, Saka is arguably one of the greatest success stories of the Arteta era.

  Central Midfield : Lucas Torreira

Torreira suffered a serious injury in 2020, and never reached the same peaks of form as before. Arteta loaned him to Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina, before parting ways with the Uruguay international last summer. He is currently playing in Galatasaray.

  Central Midfield : Granit Xhaka

The Switzerland international was thought to be about to join Jose Mourinho’s Roma after impressing at EURO 2020, but then stayed and signed a new contract until 2024. He had just had an excellent season but still left when the Gunners brought in many quality names.

Attacking Midfielder: Mesut Ozil

The Germany international’s long and sad goodbye to Arsenal ends in January 2021, when he joins Turkish giants Fenerbahce. He failed to rekindle his career there and moved to Istanbul Basaksehir before announcing his retirement earlier this year.

Right winger: Reiss Nelson

He played a small role at Feyenoord in the 2021/2022 season, having returned to the Emirates, scoring a few goals to be awarded a new contract.

Left winger: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang helped the Gunners win their first title of the Arteta era, scoring in the semi-finals and final of the 2020 FA Cup as they beat Manchester City and Chelsea. But the striker’s form declined after signing a new contract that summer and he arrived at Barcelona in January 2022. He quickly returned to London in a Chelsea shirt.

Center-Forward : Alexandre Lacazette

Lacazette was widely regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe at Lyon, but he could not replicate that status at Arsenal. The striker left the Gunners at the end of the season before his contract expired and has now returned to Lyon.