Generally speaking, the talent that the Spaniard has on his substitutes' bench is unmatched, and the options it gives the team ensure that there isn't any drop-off in quality.
Every player must be at their peak level every week
To date in 2026/27, the Gunners have begun where they left off in 2025/26 and have been more than a match for their opponents so far.
One can already see that they've got the bit between their teeth to ensure that the current campaign is another successful one, and what that essentially means in practice is that any player who isn't at his very best week in and week out can be dispensed with.
Not necessarily to be sold, but to ensure that competition for places is always at the best possible level.
Of course, some players will find themselves marginalised, and, ultimately, that could lead to their sale if the club believe it's in their best interests.
The case of Noni Madueke could soon be a case in point.
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Madueke has played just 23 minutes in the PL this season
Just 24 years of age, the England international joined the North Londoners from Chelsea and has certainly had his moments in an Arsenal shirt.
They do appear to have coincided with Bukayo Saka being injured, however, and now that he's fully fit again, Madueke isn't really getting a look in.
In fact, he's only played 23 minutes of Premier League action so far in the current season, and just 17 more in the Champions League, and that's never going to be acceptable for a player who continues to harbour international ambitions too.
Reports suggest that both Atletico Madrid and Juventus are monitoring Madueke's situation to see whether there may be scope for a loan move as early as the January transfer window.
Eight goals and 11 assists
Whether Arteta would even consider the prospect of weakening the depth that he does presently have is a moot point, because were Saka to spend more time on the sidelines at some stage, his natural replacement is Madueke.
Equally, the former Blues wide man won't just sit around on the bench for the season, hoping that he picks up more minutes, rather than having them guaranteed.
Were all parties to reluctantly agree to a loan, what do both Atleti and Juve see in the player that would excite them?
Eight goals and three assists is a reasonable enough return for a winger, although the recently departed Gabriel Martinelli managed 11 goals and seven assists in just 28 more minutes of playing time since the beginning of last season.
Great shot accuracy
For a player known to be quick, just five fast breaks in the same time frame isn't the best either, and even the far less mobile Viktor Gyokeres managed six.
Where he does excel, however, is with regard to his shooting accuracy, and his 65% showing is the best of all of the players who've played a significant amount of minutes over the past 12 months.
One or two have a slightly higher rating; however, given that their sample size is much smaller, it can't really be compared.
60 total shots is the sixth-best output from an Arsenal player since the start of 25/26, and three of his nine big chances taken (33.33% success) have him on a par with several other players.
Poor passing and crossing ability
In terms of his dribbling success, although winning 66 of 138 attempts doesn't sound particularly impressive, his 47.83% success places him only behind Eberechi Eze (48.89%) and Riccardo Calafiori (61.76%).
Completing only 78.48% of his passes might well be the justification that Arteta leans into when attempting to explain to Madueke why he isn't playing as often as he expects.
Only Gyokeres and a couple of other colleagues have a worse showing, and in a team that relies on their passing to play their opponents off the park, that's a big no-no for Arteta.
There's also the issue of crossing accuracy, from dead balls or otherwise.
Madueke has taken the third most corners in the squad since the start of 25/26 (77), but was only able to find his target 18.54% of the time. Declan Rice (28.46%) and Saka (31.44%) are clearly better in this regard.
For crosses more generally, the gap is even starker since Madueke has completed just 15 of the 86 crosses he has attempted.
Given those all-round figures, one can perfectly understand Arteta's reticence to pick him, and there would seem to be little sense in Atleti or Juve wanting to take him save for the pace he could give either down the channels.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
