It will be incredible to see 18 Gunners spread across different nations during the World Cup, with the stars donning their national jerseys to defend their countries in Qatar.
This is a possibility and already three Brazilians from Arsenal are set to join their national team.
The are Gabriel Jesus, Defender Magalhaes and the other Gabriel from Arsenal to join Brazil. The other Gabriel is Gabriel Teodoro Martinelli Silva who plays in the forward position for the Gunners.
Gabriel Jesus has arguably been one of the Premier League’s top strikers this season, along with Erling Haaland who plays at his former club Manchester City.
For the England squad, three Arsenal players are favourites to make it to Qatar. They are Bukayo Saka, the Three Lions’ only probable starter but Ben White, a versatile defender, could make Gareth Southgate’s squad too.
On the other hand, Aaron Ramsdale is expected to be one of two back-up keepers to Jordan Pickford.
Possible Gunners joining the World Cup
Meanwhile William Saliba is on the list of potential starters for France. The other countries that might get an Arsenal player are:
The USA, with Matt Turner and Auston Trusty in the running. Switzerland with Granit Xhaka. Ghana with Thomas Partey. Belgium with Albert Sambi Lokonga.
Japan with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Spain with Hector Bellerin, Mexico with Marcelo Flores and Tunisia with 19-year old Omar Rekik.
Among these players, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Ben White are likely to attract attention.
Playing in the World Cup is a great moment for any player but performing and winning matches in the national colours is not an easy feat.
Jesus has played in previous World Cups. He was part of the Brazil side that was devastated by Germany in 2014 in the horrible and historic 7-1 defeat on their own homeland.
And many people were surprised when Gabriel Jesus was left out of Brazil’s squad to face Ghana and Tunisia later this month. The Arsenal forward has been a fan favourite of Brazil manager Tite, earning 56 caps for the 61-year-old.
Brazil has confirmed their 26-man selecao or squad for the Qatar World Cup and it includes a plethora of Premier League stars, which is not surprising at all given the popularity of the ‘samba’ players in the UK.
There were a lot of notable absentees in the list which is very surprising for some but coach Tite has perhaps decided to go with a younger generation squad in these competitions.
Naming the squad on Monday, we notice the absence of Premier League duo Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Magalhaes – while Philippe Coutinho had already been ruled out due to injury.
Neymar, who is a colourful player not only by his appearance but also by his style of play and dives, is part of the squad.
This is one chance he may not miss to make his mark on history and win the cup for Brazil, but he is bound to become the top all-time goalscorer for Brazil in World Cup competitions. That will be a major feat for the player.
Image of Gabriel Jesus, from Wikipedia.
Another unmissable figure in the squad is Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus. One of the top scorers this season in the Premier League, Jesus is a regular feature in the Brazil squad, in and out of the World Cup, similar to Neymar.
Jesus is also a better build-up striker compared to others on the list. He is also a better-goal scorer, with much more pace and pressing ability, he looked extremely sharp in his game.
Image of Gabriel Martinelli from Wikipedia.
Another Arsenal player is Gabriel Martinelli and he makes it into the final squad for Qatar along with Chelsea’s Thiago Silva, Manchester United’s Casemiro, Fred and Antony, Liverpool’s Fabinho and Spurs’ Richarlison.
They will all form a powerful Latin American team and it will be very interesting to see how they defend the colours of their country, certainly after the recent debacles Brazil has suffered during World Cups.
Brazil’s World Cup participations
The country has not won the trophy since 2002, which is 20 years ago. They faced a 24-year drought without a trophy when they won it in 1970 and failed to reach the final until 1994.
Image of Brazil World Cup fans in 2014, from Wikipedia.
In 1998, they were humiliated by a poweful French side that won the cup for the first time in their history with a 3-0 win with Zinedine Zidane leaving Brazil licking to lick wounds.
And how to forget the complete bashing in 2014 when half the world woke up to Brazil, the mighty champions and great football nation, getting defeated 7-1 by Germany in Brazil itself.
Arsenal has been on the news a lot lately. First off, they ended the first half of the Premier League with the top position and are hoping to win the 2022-2023 Premier league season. Mikel Arteta seems to have a strong grip over his team.
The next concerning issue the team is facing is that their spending in the next transfer window would possibly be slightly regulated. Unfortunately, the FIFA World Cup might be causing a big strain towards the Premier League clubs and it would be interesting to see how the league will end.
Furthermore, a list of Arsenal’s powerful iconic players were selected to join the World Cup this year. Since we’ve talked about the Manchester United players that were snubbed from joining the Qatar tournament, we’re going to talk about the five Arsenal players that were also snubbed.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Image of Gabriel Magalhaes, from Wikipedia.
Gabriel Magalhaes has made waves in his career in Arsenal as his name appeared on numerous football news. He has helped Mikel Arteta gain five points and is one of the key individuals that made Arsenal stay in their strong position in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old has not earned a seniority title for the Brazilian team and thus won’t be going to Qatar. This is including the fact that Magalhaes has helped his team won the Brasileiro Série A in 2017.
Fabio Vieira
Image of Fabio Vieira, from Twitter.
Not to be confused with the other Fabio Vieira, who has the same name and is playing for Lusitânia F.C. as a midfielder and is also from Portugal, the Fabio we’re talking about is obviously from Arsenal.
The 22-year-old has done a number of achievements in his career. Granted, for a footballer to join the likes of Arsenal, they need to be special and spectacular. He helped his team win the 2021–22 Taça de Portugal.
He was named as the Player of the Tournament at last years under-21 at the Euros. He was named in the preliminaries in this year’s World Cup, but unfortunately was not selected to join rank with Cristiano Ronaldo. Furthermore, he recently joined Arsenal in the middle of this year.
Cedric Soares
Image of Cedric Soares, from Wikipedia.
Cedric Soares is another Portuguese national that was unfortunately not joining the World Cup. He was a defender in the 2016 Euro and his team won. He has not been joining that many international level games and appeared twice in this season’s Premier League.
The 31-year-old appears to be not as active as his peer Ronaldo. Previously from Southampton, he initially joined Arsenal in 2020 as a six month loan. Later that year, it was announced that he was moving to Arsenal permanently and has been comfortable ever since.
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Image of Albert Sambi Lokonga, from the Premier League website.
This is the final player that is from Arsenal and that was snubbed from joining this year’s World Cup. Albert Sambi Lokonga, 23, is from Belgium and has extensive experience with football.
It appears that Roberto Martinez did not enlist him in the Belgian team. Lokonga made his senior debut last year for Belgium. Probably one of the reasons why is that he did not play for his national team for almost a year now.
Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun faces an uncertain future even though star striker Gabriel Jesus is down with a knee injury
There has been speculation that the 22-year-old American international will replace the injured Brazilian.
But Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted Jesus’ injury would not lead to any changes for Balogun. He said the Gunners would find a way to “adapt” to Jesus’ absence at the start of the season.
Balogun, an Arsenal academy graduate, is reportedly unhappy at the North London club. He returned to London after spending last season on loan. The American demonstrated his talent, scoring 22 goals in 39 appearances while on loan at Stade de Reims in Ligue 1. But he hasn’t played a prominent role at Arsenal since his return from France.
Arteta has been reluctant to use him in the pre-season. Balogun featured against FC Nurnberg and the MLS All-Stars, but missed matches against Manchester United, Barcelona and Monaco.
Inter Milan wanted him, impressed by his form in France, but were turned off by Arsenal’s £45 million asking price for him. The Italian club were reportedly prepared to pay up to £35 million.
West Ham are also reported to be interested in him.
Interestingly, Balogun is said to have asked the Gunners to lower his price tag by as much as £10 million to make him more sellable. Clearly, he wants to leave, frustrated by his marginal role at the club.
Jesus’ absence from the opening match against Nottingham Forest (August 12) at the start of the Premier League raises the question: Who will take his place?
Nketiah and Trossard are ahead of Balogun in the pecking order, but there are rumours going around of a more tantalising possibility.
Romelu Lukaku might be signed by Arsenal to fill in for Jesus.
Considering Jesus’ injury, Talksport analyst Darren Bent thinks Arsenal should have chased Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea. The football landscape may change as a result of Lukaku’s likely transfer to Juventus, which is supported by transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano’s claim of a multi-year contract.
Bent, however, contends that the Gunners ought to have entered the contest. On an English radio station, he said: “If it was an option, I would’ve taken Lukaku. I know a lot of Arsenal fans are probably thinking, ‘absolutely not!’, but I think I would,” an article from sportskeeda.com shared.
Lukaku, a seasoned goal scorer who has scored 121 goals in 278 league games for Chelsea, Manchester United, and Everton, is stuck in a cycle of club changes, each of which is unfortunately accompanied by an unflattering undertone. Despite his exceptional abilities on the pitch, the striker’s path sees him switch teams as the seasons progress, raising concerns about the interesting dynamics that drive his movements.
The FIFA World Cup is just a week away and now everyone’s focus is on the countries that made the cut. 32 countries are expected to fulfil their player quota before the matches start and fans are excited.
Each country has to name a minimum of 23 players. They can name up to 26 players and three out of all of these players would have to be goalkeepers. Others that have not announced their players must do so on November 14th.
There are a few nations that have announced their World Cup teams, and a list that was done by the Daily Mail shows that Australia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Croatia, Brazil, Switzerland, Wales, France and the United States have selected their players.
Australia’s World Cup team
Goalkeepers : Maty Ryan, Andrew Redmayne, Danny Vukovic.
Defenders : Milos Degenek, Aziz Behich, Joel King, Nathaniel Atkinson, Fran Karacic, Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Bailey Wright, Thomas Deng.
Goalkeepers : Keylor Navas, Esteban Alvarado, Patrick Sequeira.
Defenders : Francisco Calvo, Juan Pablo Vargas, Kendall Waston, Oscar Duarte, Daniel Chacon, Keysher Fuller, Carlos Martinez, Bryan Oviedo, Ronald Matarrita.
Midfielders : Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges, Youstin Salas, Roan Wilson, Gerson Torres, Douglas Lopez, Jewison Bennette, Alvaro Zamora, Anthony Hernandez, Brandon Aguilera, Bryan Ruiz.
Denmark’s World Cup team
Goalkeepers : Kasper Schmeichel, Oliver Christensen
Defenders : Simon Kjaer, Joachim Andersen, Joakim Maehle, Andreas Christensen, Rasmus Kristensen, Jens Stryger Larsen, Victor Nelsson, Daniel Wass
Midfielders : Thomas Delaney, Mathias Jensen, Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Forwards : Andreas Skov Olsen, Jesper Lindstrom, Andreas Cornelius, Martin Braithwaite, Kasper Dolberg, Mikkel Damsgaard, Jonas Wind
Forwards : Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras, Johan Venegas.
Croatia’s World Cup team
Goalkeepers : Dominik Livakovic, Ivica Ivusic, Ivo Grbic
Defenders : Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Borna Barisic, Josip Juranovic, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Josip Stanisic, Martin Erlic, Josip Sutalo
Midfielders : Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Pasalic, Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Kristijan Jakic, Luka Sucic
Forwards : Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, Bruno Petkovic, Mislav Orsic, Ante Budimir, Marko Livaja
Brazil’s World Cup team
Goalkeepers : Alisson, Ederson, Weverton.
Defenders : Dani Alves, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Alex Telles, Bremer, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva.
Midfielders : Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Fabinho, Fred, Lucas Paqueta.
Attackers : Antony, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Neymar, Pedro, Raphinha, Richarlison, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.
Japan’s World Cup team
Goalkeepers : Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt, Eiji Kawashima.
Forwards : Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas, Djibril Sow, Haris Seferovic, Christian Fassnacht.
Wales’ World Cup team
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Adam Davies.
Defenders: Ben Davies, Ben Cabango, Tom Lockyer, Joe Rodon, Chris Mepham, Ethan Ampadu, Chris Gunter, Neco Williams, Connor Roberts.
Midfielders: Sorba Thomas, Joe Allen, Matthew Smith, Dylan Levitt, Harry Wilson, Joe Morrell, Jonny Williams, Aaron Ramsey, Rubin Colwill.
Forwards: Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, Mark Harris, Brennan Johnson, Dan James.
France’s World Cup team
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Alphonse Areola, Steve Mandanda.
Defenders: Benjamin Pavard, Jules Koundé, Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe, William Saliba, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konaté, Dayot Upamecano.
Mikel Arteta is determined to win the Premier League this season, thus far Arsenal has actually proven themselves in the first half of the tournament. However, Arteta being the calculative man he is, is planning to acquire more players in the next transfer period.
However, unfortunately he has been warned not to overspend during the next transfer period. It is still undetermined how his players who will be joining the upcoming World Cup will fare in terms of injuries.
Arsenal players headed to the World Cup
Bukayo Saka, Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsdale and William Saliba are going to Qatar this month to represent their respective countries.
Image of Aaron Ramsdale, from Wikipedia.
They will compete in the Dubai Super Cup in December. This is all happening concurrently with the World Cup on going. They will compete in Dubai along with Liverpool, AC Milan and Lyon.
Image of Bukayo Saka, from Wikipedia.
However, Arsenal will not be competing directly against Liverpool, but they will play against Milan and Lyon on the 8th and 13th December. The games will be played in the Al-Maktoum stadium.
Arteta stated, “It’s an easy trip as one of the biggest sponsors we have in Emirates is part of it, plus we’ve been there and know the facilities and it’s a really good environment to work.
“The weather is spectacular and then the World Cup is so close, so for any player that is around there, it is so easy to get them back straight away. I think it ticks all the boxes that we need. We need good preparation mentally and physically to be ready for the huge demands that the second part of the season is going to bring to the team.
“We have two great games against Lyon and Milan and we are really looking forward to it. They’re two big clubs and it’ll be tough competition, and for us, it’s a great test to see where we are.”
Arteta’s intentions
"We will have a look…" 👀
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says his side will be "active" in the January transfer window 🔴 pic.twitter.com/XxlyiFmi9T
This is just days after Arteta stated publicly that he will look at the January transfer window as an opportunity to revamp his team. Fans’ responses were that their main concerns are the midfield and the winger. They claim that Arsenal needs improving on that specific aspect.
Fans were also questioning whether Arteta is boosting his team or buying the whole league. He was also complimented on handling the press well in comparison to other league managers.
There were naysayers that claimed that his days as a manager are finished. However, to be fair, even well performing managers such as Thomas Tuchel were sacked and replaced with the likes of Graham “Harry” Potter.
A former Arsenal legend, Lauren stated his opinion about Arteta’s intentions. He claimed that Arteta should not focus on winning just this Premier League title by spending money in January.
Image of Lauren, from Wikipedia.
Lauren advised to “maintain the current momentum” that Arsenal has. This would be a better way to maintain the team’s current strong position.
Lauren then added “Keep encouraging the players because the difference from this squad to last year is the fact that we can maintain the consistency in the 90 minutes and over two, three or four consecutive games.”
“We haven’t seen that for a long time, so the fact that the team at the moment is playing with that kind of confidence, I don’t think we have to think about who can come in in the window. If we can keep this level of performance until the end of January, I believe that we can be considered seriously and fight for the title.”
