Arsenal enter the new Premier League season as defending champions, but the World Cup has left manager Mikel Arteta facing fitness concerns across a large chunk of his squad. Fifteen Arsenal players featured in the tournament, with eight still involved in this weekend's final matches, leaving little recovery time before pre-season begins just over a month before the new campaign starts.

The biggest worry is William Saliba, whose back injury forced him off after 30 minutes of France's semi-final defeat by Spain; surgery is being considered, which could sideline him for around four months and disrupt his key defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have also managed hamstring and fitness issues throughout the tournament, with Rice guaranteed 21 days' mandatory rest once the World Cup ends, while Ben White and Jurrien Timber are expected to be fit for the new season after respective injury lay-offs.