5 talking points as Arsenal thrash Ipswich and Nketiah bags hat-trick

Arsenal started their pre-season campaign in style on Saturday, as they thrashed Ipswich Town 5-1 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at London Colney.

Mikel Arteta is without a host of first-team regulars, who are enjoying an extended break following their recent international exploits. However, the Spaniard was still able to field a strong side against the League One outfit, with names such as Eddie Nketiah, Ben White and Thomas Partey all featuring.

Nketiah netted inside the opening 30 seconds before teeing up Albert Sambi Lokonga to double the Gunners lead. Nketiah went on to bag a first-half hat-trick, before Folarin Balogun completed the route after the break. Sone Aluko netted a consolation for Ipswich. Here, Mirror Football talks a look at five talking points from Arsenal's big pre-season win...

Nketiah proves a point

With Gabriel Jesus' arrival from Manchester City expected to be officially confirmed any day now, Nketiah picked the perfect time to bag a three-goal haul.

While there has been understandable excitement at the prospect of Jesus leading the line for the Gunners next term, Nketiah will have aspirations of his own to retain the first-team shirt that he made his own in the final weeks of the season.

Admittedly, keeping himself ahead of somebody of Jesus' ilk is a big ask, but Nketiah finished the season strongly and will back himself to carry his goalscoring form into the new Premier League campaign. The 23-year-old snubbed a move elsewhere to continue his journey at Arsenal - and it's highly unlikely that he's signed up to play a peripheral role.

Minutes for fringe stars

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With a host of players still absent owing to their recent international exploits, Arteta was handed the opportunity to give minutes to a few players who found first-team action limited last season.

Leno spent the majority of the campaign on the bench after being dislodged by Aaron Ramsdale, while the likes of Hector Bellerin, Pablo Mari and Reiss Nelson returned to the fold after spending last season away from the club completely.

Although Leno, Bellerin and Mari are expected to depart the club on a permanent basis before the new top-flight campaign begins, there is every chance they could continue to feature for the Gunners until they are officially off the books.

Left-back issues

Arsenal finished the season without their first-choice left-back after Kieran Tierney was forced to undergo knee surgery, and the onus is still on the Gunners to find a capable deputy for the Scotsman.

Nuno Tavares massively underwhelmed during his debut season and looks likely to exit the Emirates on a temporary basis, while Cedric - who filled the role in the win over Ipswich - is unlikely to be Arteta's choice to start the season.

It emerged on Saturday that Arsenal are likely to miss out to Brentford in the race for Aaron Hickey, while Manchester United are now in pole position to land Lisandro Martinez. The Gunners badly need to identify somebody capable of filling in for Tierney next season - and they are running out of time to do so.

Pepe hanging by a thread

Club-record signing Nicolas Pepe was part of the strong team that Arteta fielded in the first half of the clash - but the Ivorian star failed to find the net against League One opposition.

Much like Leno and Bellerin, there is every chance that the Gunners could cut ties with Pepe on a permanent basis this summer if an adequate offer for the former Lille man arrives.

Pepe lined up alongside Nketiah and Nelson in a three-man attack for the Gunners - and the fact that he is probably the least likely of that trio to be around at the start of the new season says everything about his torrid spell in north London.

Partey returns

Losing Partey to a thigh injury in the final weeks of the season was a bitter blow for Arsenal - so fans will be delighted to see that the Ghanian enforcer's recovery is right on track.

It was expected that Partey - who has been plagued by injuries since joining the Gunners back in 2020 - would be back for the start of pre-season, and the fact that he was able to complete 45 minutes of action against the Tractor Boys is a major plus for Arteta, who has been unable to sign another holding midfielder so far this summer.