Arsenal Launch Champions League Bid with Revamped Forward Line

Arsenal open their Champions League campaign against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, armed with a new-look attack shaped by a busy summer transfer window.

Mikel Arteta’s side reached the semi-finals of Europe’s elite competition last season for the first time since 2009, falling to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain. Domestically, they finished runners-up in the Premier League for a third straight year, hampered by a lack of goals in their forward line.

To fix that, Arteta turned to the market, bringing in Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze. With Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus sidelined early this season, the new arrivals have quickly shown their value.

All three impressed in Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest. Madueke has shone in Saka’s absence, Gyökeres scored his third goal in four games, and Eze marked his full debut with an assist. Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi also netted twice for his first Arsenal goals since joining from Real Sociedad.

The Gunners have three wins from their first four league fixtures, with their only slip a narrow 1-0 defeat at Liverpool after Dominik Szoboszlai’s late free-kick. But the pressure is on Arteta to deliver silverware — Arsenal’s last major trophy came in 2020.

“It doesn’t matter what we want to do, it is what we have to do,” said Arteta, who returns to his native Basque region for Tuesday’s clash.

One concern is the fitness of captain Martin Ødegaard, who limped off with a shoulder injury against Forest. Arteta said: “We have to assess him with the doctors and see, but I’m sure he will try his best to be fit for Tuesday.”

If Ødegaard is absent, Eze and his fellow newcomers will shoulder the responsibility of driving Arsenal’s European challenge. The Gunners have never won the Champions League and last lifted the Premier League in 2004.

For Eze, the stage is particularly poignant. Released by Arsenal at 13, he returns after a breakthrough season with Crystal Palace, where he helped inspire their FA Cup triumph. Now, he prepares for his first taste of Champions League football.

“It’s fun for me. This is why I play football. These are opportunities that you want. This is it for me, so I am enjoying it as much as I can,” Eze said.
“It is special and it’s not everyone that gets to experience these types of moments.”