3 things we learned from Arsenal's USA pre-season tour

After wins over Manchester United and Bournemouth, and a rather disappointing defeat to Liverpool, Arsenal are heading back to England.

The Gunners' pre-season tour of the USA, while perhaps not ideal for fans of the club who were having to stay awake all night to watch their team play, did have plenty of benefits for the team itself.

Here's everything we learned from Arsenal's tour.

The Gunners need a midfielder

Having watched Kai Havertz be pushed back into midfield during the defeat to Liverpool, watched Thomas Partey struggle for form and fitness last season, and with Jorginho in the twilight of his career, it's pretty clear that Arsenal need to sign a new central midfielder this summer.

There's been plenty of midfielders linked with a move, but the one that stands out the most is Mikel Merino. Coming off the back of a Euro 2024 triumph, the Spain international would slot seamlessly into either the number six or eight roles at the Emirates Stadium, breaking up play and keeping possession in order to allow the Gunners' attackers to thrive ahead of him or joining in with them himself.

Make it happen, Arsenal.

Ethan Nwaneri is ready for first-team football

If you were on X (Twitter) during any of Arsenal's pre-season games, you'll know exactly how excited fans are about 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri.

And if you watched any of Arsenal's pre-season games, you'll know exactly why they're so excited too.

During the tour of the USA, the prodigal wide played proved that he's ready for regular first team football in the 2024/25 campaign. His dynamic performance against Bournemouth, in particular, showed off this offensive prowess potential ability to deputise for Bukayo Saka when needed moving forward.

Riccardo Calafiori is a shrewd signing

In Arsenal's final game of their USA tour, it's more than fair to say that Oleksandr Zinchenko struggled when facing off against Mohamed Salah.

And while that is understandable as Salah is literally one of the best players in Premier League history, Zinchenko struggling against talented right wingers was a bit of a theme of last season for the Ukrainian.

That's where Riccardo Calafiori comes in.

The Italy international is a much more defensively sound option on the left-hand side of the defence, and will undoubtedly be a huge upgrade for the Gunners heading into the 2024/25 season.

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