Arsene Wenger believes that the likes of Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott can have a big impact on the squad during the coming season, provided they stay fit.
Both players sat out large chunks of last season, with Wilshere missing for five months after suffering an ankle injury, while Walcott continued his recovery from an ACL tear months into the season, not making a start for 365 days, when he returned against Hull in the FA Cup.
Despite this, Walcott scored five times throughout the 2014/15 season, including the opener in the emphatic FA Cup final triumph over Aston Villa. Speaking to Arsenal Player, Wenger said that he thinks the squad could benefit from both players:
“The best way to strengthen other areas of the team is to get the players who did not play a lot last year and keep them fit. Walcott basically did not play until the end of the season, Wilshere has not played many games.
“Those two were very convincing at the end of the season so I hope that this season we can benefit from their participation and competitiveness.”
He also spoke about other players who missed large chunks of the season, and his hope for all of the players to stay fit throughout the season:
“We lost Özil and Giroud for long periods last year and they contributed a lot in the second part of the season. Let’s hope all these players will be fit and available.”
Wenger also hinted at the possibility of making additional signings once the squad has been assessed, saying: “After, if we can still add some quality, we will do it.”
Arsenal’s pre-season gets underway against a Singapore select XI on July 15th, with Walcott and Wilshere both in the 27-man squad.
