Arsenal Foot ball club Player of the Season 2023-24 power rankings: Declan Rice leads the way for unbeaten Gunners with Kai Havertz floundering

Timber looked like being an ideal addition to Mikel Arteta’s backline when he arrived from Ajax for £40 million ($49.5m) this summer. He looked good in the Community Shield, but an ACL injury sustained in the Gunners’ Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest condemned him to an extended spell on the sidelines.

It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for Smith Rowe. After impressing at the European Under-21 Championship over the summer, he would have been hopeful of tasting some more first-team action this season. However, his only minutes thus far have come in the Community Shield. He should get his chances when the games start to pile up, at least.

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Another of Arsenal’s youth-team graduates struggling to break into the senior side, Nelson’s sole contribution so far has been coming on as a 90th-minute sub against Manchester United.

Zero goals, zero assists – and that does not even tell the full story of Havertz’s disappointing start to life in north London. The German just has not looked comfortable in midfield, failing to make a net-positive impact in any of his starts so far.

Arteta’s experimental decision to move Partey to right-back was a little odd and he did not fully convince in his new role at the start of the campaign. To compound matters, before he could shift back into midfield, he suffered an untimely injury.

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Tomiyasu is a useful member of the Arsenal squad, with his versatility likely to prove particularly important as the Gunners compete on multiple fronts later in the year. The Japan international is a solid presence, but saw red against Crystal Palace – even if it was a harsh dismissal.

Jorginho’s role is essentially a ‘closer’ these days: someone to bring on when you need to keep hold of the ball and maintain a bit of defensive solidity. He does this job pretty well, but it’s hardly going to win him Player of the Season.

Ramsdale would have been sweating when David Raya was signed in the summer, but at first it seemed his position as Arsenal’s No.1 would remain in tact. However, a sketchy display against Fulham saw his position under threat, and Raya replaced him against Everton. Publicly, Arteta has outlined a utopian vision where the pair rotate – sometimes even during a game. It remains to be seen if this is realistic.

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Was drafted in at left-back for his side’s draw against Fulham and did a perfectly serviceable job. It’s extremely unlikely his role grows into anything bigger than a back-up this season.

Raya looked impressive against Everton in his only appearance for the Gunners so far, claiming crosses comfortably and spraying long passes for fun. Right now, it looks likely he’ll play more frequently than Ramsdale this season.

Trossard continues to hover outside Arsenal’s starting frontline, with his ability to play in all three forward positions working against him at times. He scored a stunning winner against Everton recently, helping the Gunners end their Goodison Park hoodoo in the process.

A knee injury has severely disrupted the start of his season, but the Brazilian has still managed to get on the scoresheet, grabbing a composed third goal against United. He should be back starting up front soon enough.

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After it appeared that Arteta had gone off him, Gabriel has enjoyed a run of starts in the first team more recently. There’s been one or two shaky moments – as there often is when the Brazilian is around – but his performances have dispelled any rumours that he might be moved on in the relatively-near future.

After a calf injury disrupted his start to the season, Zinchenko’s re-entry to the starting XI seems to have returned Arsenal’s cohesion in possession. The bravery he showed in the second half against Everton was key to his side’s eventual victory.

Martinelli has two assists to his name so far and would have scored as well, if not for the intervention of VAR. Seeing him limp off against Everton at Goodison Park was an unwelcome sight for Arsenal fans.

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Linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium during the summer, Nketiah stuck around and has been rewarded by an extended run in the starting XI. He’s already halfway to matching his 2022-23 Premier League goal tally by netting twice, but likely hasn’t done quite enough to establish himself as the club’s starting striker.

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After a fairly uninspiring debut season at the Emirates, Vieira has come out with a point to prove this campaign. Establishing his reputation as one of Arteta’s ‘finishers’ early on, he provided assists in successive Premier League games against Fulham and United. These displays seemed to have moved him above Havertz in the pecking order.

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Although he remains absent from the England set-up for reasons that remain unclear, there’s little doubt that White is one of the Premier League’s most reliable defenders. He has started all of Arsenal’s Premier League games so far, scarcely putting a foot wrong.

Arsenal missed Saliba dearly when he was sidelined at the end of last season and Arteta will be mightily relieved to have him back. We know what to expect from the Frenchman by now and he has delivered a string of solid performances at the back to kick-off the campaign.

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Still only 22, Saka continues to solidify his reputation as one of the most productive widemen in Europe. Involved in just under half of his side’s goals so far this season, the only blot on his record is a poor error against Fulham.

Odegaard has picked up where he left off last season. The heartbeat of this Arsenal side, he has scarcely missed a second of action and netted vital goals against Palace and United in the opening weeks of the campaign.

There were questions asked when Arsenal spent over £100m ($127m) on Rice this summer – but he’s already proving to be money well spent. His dramatic stoppage-time strike against United sent the Emirates into delirium, and his all-round dominant midfield performances have been a joy to behold. Keeping him fit for the season’s duration will be key.

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