Five Things We Learned From Arsenal's Preseason So Far

Arsenal recently concluded with their short tour of Singapore where they participated in the Barclays Asia Trophy.

The Gunners first saw off the select Singapore XI by beating them 4-0 before facing fellow Premier League side Everton in the final, beating the Toffees 3-1. It ended a perfect start to preseason in Asia and even though it was just two matches, we learned plenty of things. Here are five of them.

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Chuba Akpom Deserves to be Promoted

Chuba Akpom has been with Arsenal for a while now and has been slowly edging towards the first team. The Arsenal youth product has traveled with the Gunners first team the last few preseason tours and has made the odd league appearance each season but never really given a proper chance.

The fact that Akpom never really looked good out on loan didn't help his case and while he scored a hat-trick against the select Singapore XI, he showed remarkable qualities overall, showing that he can kick it when he has better support.

Arsene Wenger can't do worse than to promote him as a squad player especially with Yaya Sanogo out on loan, Joel Campbell seemingly on his way out and Lukas Podolski sold. If another striker does come in, his versatility out wide could also be useful in giving him that extra bit of game time.

 

Arsenal Just Needs One or Two More Signings

Arsenal started the summer well by acquiring Petr Cech but it's all been quiet since. This has led to concern for Gunners fans especially as clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United are strengthening with a number of signings.

However, the Gunners probably have the most exciting squad in terms of potential compared to the rest of the top four, especially based on their dominant performances in Singapore.

With Cech added, they're a formidable defensive unit. If they could add either the right striker or the right defensive midfielder, or even both, even the biggest Arsenal haters would have to admit that they could be a shoe in for the title.

 

Theo Walcott Ready to Play as a Striker

Theo Walcott was injured for most of last season and when he did play, he seemed to miss easy chances that he wouldn't have missed otherwise. Of course, he had just come back from a long lay-off and was bound to be rusty so it was no coincidence that he came off the bench towards the end of the season.

However, in the last game of the season, Walcott - a natural striker - started up top instead of Olivier Giroud who was presumably being rested, and proceeded to score a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion. This seemed to alter Wenger's mind ahead of the FA Cup final as Walcott started there as well and scored the opener as the Gunners went on to beat Aston Villa 4-0.

Walcott started against Everton in Singapore up top again and played relatively well, taking on an impressive pass from Santi Cazorla and finishing confidently. If anything, he should definitely be played as a striker especially given his confidence level and the different dimension he offers compared to Giroud.

 

This Could be Mesut Ozil's Best Season

He signed on deadline day in 2013. He had an extended break in 2014 due to his participation in the World Cup.

However, Ozil will now be embarking on his first preseason with the Gunners which will do him a lot of good, especially based on his performance against Everton.

The sublime German controlled things as you'd expect and took a well taken goal past Joel Robles. If this is a sign of things to come, we could be seeing the very best of Ozil in the upcoming season.

 

Santi Cazorla Must Not be Sold

Santi Cazorla had his own renaissance this past season, being shifted to a deep lying playmaker role and excelling it at brilliantly. However, the magical Spaniard always seems to be linked with a move away from Arsenal, presumably because of his age (30) with Atletico Madrid linked for quite some time now.

Wenger should not be tempted to sell him for a cash offer as Cazorla is absolutely vital to the Gunners, being able to play in a variety of positions, all with the brilliance we've come to know of the Spaniard.

And Cazorla proved he can still perform, topping off his preseason tour of Singapore with a well taken goal from outside the box. He could be key this season.

 

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