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After a horrific start to the campaign, Arsenal is now cruising comfortably in the Premier League. The Gunners now sit fourth behind Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta's men are also at a safe distance from their competitors — Tottenham and Manchester United, who are trying their best to get into the top four. Their form continues to improve as the season progresses.
Head coach Mikel Arteta invested in talented youngsters and his decisions seem to be paying off.
Players like Ben White, Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka, among others, are delivering on a consistent basis. However, the team also houses a bunch of players who could not be a regular part of the new strategy. Check them out below.
5. Mohamed Elneny - 422
Although Mohamed Elneny is no longer a regular member of Arteta's EPL squad anymore, he was of service during the club's EFL/FA Cup fixtures. Elneny missed a bunch of games with the club while he was away chasing the Africa Cup of Nations.
Elneny was one of the crucial players for Egypt in their run to the finals in the African competition. Nevertheless, he doesn't enjoy the same glory at club level. Mohamed Elneny has featured in 10 games across all competitions for his club this season.
Most of them have come from the bench. His last club appearance was on January 1 against Manchester City. The Egyptian's last full-game in a Gunnersl kit was against Sunderland in the EFL quarter-finals in December.
4. Calum Chambers - 375
Calum Chambers has been a part of the Arsenal roster since 2014. He was a key player within the team in his first season (2014-15) playing 22 league games. Apart from the two loan stints (Middlesbrough in 2016-17 and Fulham in 2018-19), Chambers was always available and ready to serve his club.
A versatile defender, Calum Chambers can equally grace center-back and right-back roles. Arteta's different approach at the start of the season saw a formation where five defenders were deployed. The Petersfield-born defender was an important member of that unit.
Arteta later switched to the traditional 4-man defense and Chambers lost his spot to Ben White.
3. Sead Kolasinac/Pablo Marí - 270
Arsenal's squad was rich with defensive options until the start of the current season. Ahead of the 2021-22 season, head coach Mikel Arteta offloaded many to make room for new arrivals and reduce the competition.
The same has impacted many former players, including Sead Kolasinac and Pablo Mari. They have each featured in 270 games for the Gunners in the ongoing 2021-22 season.
While Pablo Mari made three full-time appearances before moving to Udinese on loan, Kolasinac secured a permanent switch to Marseille. The latter's run at the Emirates was hindered by an ankle injury.
2. Folarin Balogun - 133
Folarin Balogun is another player out on loan due to increased competition within the team. With two Premier League appearances and two EFL Cup appearances, Balogun accumulated a total of 133 playing minutes in the Arsenal shirt before moving to Middlesbrough.
The 20-year-old is lauded as one of the future prospects at the Emirates Stadium. If it wasn't for the presence of Alexander Lacazette, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard among others, Folarin Balogun might certainly have secured a spot in Arsenal's attacking department.
Balogun nearly signed for Spurs in 2019 after having a trial with the London side. However, he chose Arsenal and signed a deal in February. The forward is now an important member of the Arsenal U21. But he trained regularly with the senior team and also made occasional appearances before moving out on loan to Middlesbrough.
1. Reiss Nelson - 19
Arsenal kickstarted their 2021-22 campaign with a shocking loss at the hands of newly promoted Brentford FC. Unfortunately, Reiss Nelson was a part of the team that day. He came in as a substitute in the 71st minutes, replacing Gabriel Martinelli.
Those 19 minutes account for Reiss Nelson's time on the pitch for Arsenal this season. He eventually dropped down the pecking order as Arteta revamped his strategy following a series of losses.
On August 31, 2021, the 22-year-old moved to Eredivisie side FC Feyenoord. The loan deal is only until the end of the current season. He has become a core member of the Feyenoord squad already and has played 20 games for the Dutch club so far this season.
With his current form at Feyenoord, it would not be a bad idea for Reiss Nelson to make his transfer permanent.
