Arsenal

Mikel Arteta must make a few difficult calls when it comes to naming his Arsenal matchday squad for the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on ...

Whatever calls Arteta makes are certainly going to be tough ones as he tries to juggle with a large squad. Should this scenario come to fruition, it would leave the Arsenal manager needing to make a decision on which three remaining senior players to leave out as the likes of Cedric Soares, Rob Holding, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Marquinhos could be at risk of not making the matchday squad against Palace. Although going by the club's official website which has 27 other first-team players listed, the pair won't be alone in cheering on their teammates from afar as, in total, Arteta will have to leave as many as nine senior stars at home for the game against Palace in the scenario that no further transfers are completed between now and kick-off.

In today's Fiver: Amazon video sensation Mikel Arteta, Chelsea b@ntz and, yes, the Premier League is back.

A club representing the city of the Sun King; and a club where stars are stars and coaches are optional. Eddie Howe showed he can multitask by inking his name all over a long-term Newcastle deal while also warning fans that FFP will put the brakes on the club’s spending. “Big Website’s analysis of the Premier League teams’ chances this season has been interesting, but wordy. Martin Tyler has apologised after appearing to link the Hillsborough disaster with hooliganism. All a bit obvious, but at least this season we get to have a break while the top players sweat buckets in a hot place” – John Lawton. “They have been inspired by top players, top professionals, ruthless winners for many years … and now it’s their turn to do the same. I guess Sky Sports are giving teams £5bn to provide TV coverage for the same people that were watching Division One in 1992” – Graham Haslam. We’ve lined up the essentials – tin hat, Tin – and will be foregoing the not inconsiderable pleasure of George Clarke’s Remarkable Renovations on 4Seven so that we can watch Crystal Palace v Arsenal. There’s been a remarkable renovation – pick that segue out – at Arsenal. According to our chirpy and occasionally decipherable nephew #5r, they’ve already won pre-season. No wonder their fans are daring to dream that, if all goes to plan, this could finally be the year they reach the promised land of fourth place. Never mind winning – one of Arsenal’s challenges is to start drawing. The best league in the world at saying it’s the best league in the world returns to our orbit on Friday night, and The Fiver is ready. But these are upbeat times at the Emirates, even by traditional opening-weekend standards, and we wouldn’t be doing our reliably half-@rsed job if we didn’t acknowledge as much.

Cheick Doucoure is set to make is first Premier League start against Arsenal on Friday night. The new signing will play a key role for Crystal Palace.

He’s a highly-regarded 22-year-old midfielder who could emerge as one of the signings of the summer. Cheick Doucoure is whom the Eagles opted for after he helped Lens to an impressive seventh-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. For Vieira’s side to evolve, a more metronomic and technically proficient profile was required. For Patrick Vieira, a manager who wants his sides to be brave in possession, having Kouyate in midfield was an issue. In truth, defensive midfield has been a problem area for the Eagles since football returned from a lengthy COVID-19-induced break in 2020. Palace’s former #8 is a man-mountain and he’s incredibly tough to bypass, but he was a tough watch when the ball arrived at his feet.