Mikel Arteta's first Arsenal XI sums up size and speed of transfer rebuild

Mikel Arteta's first XI as a manager after taking over as Arsenal manager is quite the far cry from where they are now two and half years later.

The Spaniard made it his mission to overhaul the squad with the former lot renowned for their high wages, in-fighting and lack of professionalism. Another problem was the age of the squad, which was unnaturally high for an Arsenal team.

It did not take long for Arteta to get to work, offloading those that did not fit his vision almost immediately, while this summer and last has seen the Gunners splash the cash on young, exciting players. Fabio Vieira is the latest signing, while Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus should be the next to arrive.

It was December 20, 2019 when Arsenal hired Arteta to steer the ship in a bold call and his first game ended in a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth. But where are those that made it into his first XI as manager now? takes a closer look.

Leno remains at Arsenal, but for how long is anybody's guess as he looks for an escape route this summer. Aaron Ramsdale has ousted the German from the starting XI while a prospective move to Newcastle now looks off the cards after the arrival of Nick Pope.

Arteta is keen to bring in the academy graduates at Arsenal but it appears that Maitland-Niles has not made the cut despite starting in Arteta's first game in charge. A failed loan spell at AS Roma means that the England international is another in the departure lounge at the Emirates.

Often derided for his horror performances at the back, Arteta counted on Luiz quite a bit for some experience at the back. The following season, though, the Brazilian's game-time dropped with the arrival of Gabriel Magalhaes and he now plays back in his homeland for