Mikel Arteta's first Arsenal XI sums up size and speed of transfer rebuild

Mikel Arteta's first XI as a manager after taking over as Arsenal manager is quite the far cry from where they are now two and half years later.

The Spaniard made it his mission to overhaul the squad with the former lot renowned for their high wages, in-fighting and lack of professionalism. Another problem was the age of the squad, which was unnaturally high for an Arsenal team.

It did not take long for Arteta to get to work, offloading those that did not fit his vision almost immediately, while this summer and last has seen the Gunners splash the cash on young, exciting players. Fabio Vieira is the latest signing, while Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus should be the next to arrive.

It was December 20, 2019 when Arsenal hired Arteta to steer the ship in a bold call and his first game ended in a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth. But where are those that made it into his first XI as manager now? Mirror Football takes a closer look.

Bernd Leno

Leno remains at Arsenal, but for how long is anybody's guess as he looks for an escape route this summer. Aaron Ramsdale has ousted the German from the starting XI while a prospective move to Newcastle now looks off the cards after the arrival of Nick Pope.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Arteta is keen to bring in the academy graduates at Arsenal but it appears that Maitland-Niles has not made the cut despite starting in Arteta's first game in charge. A failed loan spell at AS Roma means that the England international is another in the departure lounge at the Emirates.

David Luiz

Often derided for his horror performances at the back, Arteta counted on Luiz quite a bit for some experience at the back. The following season, though, the Brazilian's game-time dropped with the arrival of Gabriel Magalhaes and he now plays back in his homeland for Flamengo.

Sokratis

The Greek did not last much longer after this appearance with his contract being ripped up the following month in January. Just five days later Sokratis found himself a new club back in Greece with Olympiacos.

Bukayo Saka

Now one of the first names on the team sheet under Arteta, he started his life out under the Spaniard in a now-unfamiliar left-back role. The England international has since made the right-wing spot his own, dislodging club-record signing Nicolas Pepe in the process.

Granit Xhaka

An ongoing soap opera has surrounded Xhaka since his arrival at Arsenal but somehow he remains not just at the club but one of the key players at the Emirates. The Swiss international was on the verge of leaving last summer for AS Roma but now it is hard to envisage him making an exit anytime soon.

Lucas Torreira

Despite being one of the best players on the pitch, Arteta did not fancy Torreira in midfield and he was shunted out to Fiorentina on loan in the summer last year. They are not willing to make that permanent, though, so the Uruguayan is another in limbo at the club.

Mesut Ozil

Often dominating debates among the Arsenal fanbase, it was clear to see what side Arteta was on after failing to even name him in the squad in 2020. It led to the German leaving for Fenerbahce, though that has not gone to plan and most recently it was reported that he was ready to retire to become a full-time gamer.

Reiss Nelson

Long had Nelson been heralded as one of the standout stars of the academy but it just has not gone to plan for the winger yet at the Emirates. He is back at Arsenal after a loan at Feyenoord where he helped the club finish runners-up in the Europa Conference League.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Arteta has never been afraid to make big calls and Aubameyang was the victim of the latest when he had the captaincy stripped off him for one too many disciplinary breaches. It did not take long after that until he was booted out of the club, signing for Barcelona in January when his contract was ripped up.

Alexandre Lacazette

The most recent to leave, Lacazette saw his contract expire this summer before returning to Lyon on a free transfer after failing to make much of an impression in his final year. Towards the end of the season, Eddie Nketiah was promoted to first-name striker ahead of the Frenchman to all but underline Arteta's plan.