Arsenal’s squad has long had an international feel to it. Among the current crop, there are players hailing from Ghana, Brazil, Egypt and Japan. In this article, we’re focusing on the European contingent and specifically those who’ve been selected to represent their national side at Euro 2024 in Germany.
We’ll first run through the players who made it on the plane to Germany, then we’ll delve into how they performed for the Gunners (or, in one case, the club at which they were on loan) during the 2023/24 season.
Which Arsenal Players Went to Euro 2024?
| Player | Nation |
|---|---|
| Aaron Ramsdale | England |
| Declan Rice | England |
| Bukayo Saka | England |
| Kieran Tierney (On loan at Real Sociedad until 30 June 2024) | Scotland |
| David Raya (on loan from Brentford) | Spain |
| William Saliba | France |
| Jakub Kiwior | Poland |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | Ukraine |
| Leandro Trossard | Belgium |
| Jorginho | Italy |
| Kai Havertz | Germany |
Three Arsenal players made it into Gareth Southgate’s squad. It probably would have been four had Ben White not closed the door on his international career. Kieran Tierney is in Scotland’s squad and though he was out on loan for much of 2023/24, he’s still an Arsenal man and could well have a future under Mikel Arteta, although it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if he was offloaded.
Arsenal’s representation at the Euros in Germany is spread across some of the main contenders to go all the way: France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and hosts Germany, along with those with less chance of success, Ukraine and Poland.
How They Performed for Arsenal in 2023/24
Now let’s take a look back at the 2023/24 campaign and see how well the above-mentioned players performed for the Gunners.
Aaron Ramsdale
Ramsdale was rather sidelined in 2023/24 after the arrival of David Raya on loan from Brentford (see below). The former Sheffield United man only featured in six Premier League games for the Gunners and a handful of cup games. The fact that Gareth Southgate included him in the England squad will come as a boost, but unless England’s number one Jordan Pickford gets injured, it’s quite possible Ramsdale might not feature in the Euros. To date, he’s earned only five England caps between 2021 and 2024 and if he wants to increase that number, he might have to move to another club if Arteta gets Raya on a permanent basis.
Declan Rice
In contrast to Ramsdale, Declan Rice was a mainstay of the Arsenal side that almost pipped Man City to the title in 2023/24. He featured in all 38 Premier League games, scoring seven goals and producing eight assists. He also made a total of 2,227 passes (an average of 58.61 passes per league match), the 13th-highest total in the EPL. He was also the 14th-highest when it came to successful tackles with 83.
For England, Rice has shown himself to be a calm head in the middle of the park. He’s earned more than 50 caps for the Three Lions now and looks like being around for a long while yet. Offering excellent protection for the more attacking players, and providing a fantastic link between defence and attack, Rice should prove his worth for England at the Euros and beyond.
Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka was Arsenal’s top scorer in 2023/24 with 16 league goals and four more in Europe. He played in 35 Premier League games and once again proved himself to be one of Arteta’s most consistent and effective performers.
Saka has also started to become an increasingly important part of Gareth Southgate’s England side. His ability to run at players and feed Harry Kane, while chipping in with a few goals too, means he’s being picked ahead of some other very talented players. He’ll hope to build a good understanding with Jude Bellingham at the Euros and, feasibly, over the next decade or so for England.
Kieran Tierney (On loan at Real Sociedad until 30 June 2024)
Kieran Tierney didn’t feature for Arsenal in 2023/24 and instead spent the season on loan at Real Sociedad where he made 26 appearances in total. A big part of Scotland’s Euros qualification campaign, Tierney will be crucial if Scotland are to give a good account of themselves in Germany.
David Raya (On loan from Brentford)
As mentioned above, Raya usurped Ramsdale as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper, and over the 32 league games in which he played, he certainly proved his worth. With 16 clean sheets and just 24 goals conceded, Raya helped the Gunners give up fewer goals than any other side in the division (including five fewer than champions Man City).
At the time of writing, Raya is not Spain’s number one though. That honour falls to Unai Simon, though Raya is not a bad stand-in if required.
William Saliba
French centre back William Saliba has grown into something of a defensive stalwart at Arsenal in the last couple of seasons, developing an excellent defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhães. He’s also been in Didier Deschamps’ squad for a while, although Les Bleus’ boss isn’t his biggest fan by all accounts, suggesting he has a “limited game”. Despite this, he’s likely to prove an effective option for France as they attempt to go all the way in Germany.
Jakub Kiwior
Polish defender, Jakub Kiwior, made 20 league appearances for Arsenal in 2023/24 but has become one of the key players for Michał Probierz’s Poland side.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Zinchenko played 27 league games for the Gunners last season along with a handful of games in Europe and the cups. The former Man City man has long been one of Ukraine’s best defenders having earned more than 60 caps since making his international debut back in 2015.
Leandro Trossard
Leandro Trossard had a decent season for Arsenal, netting 12 times in 34 league matches and 17 in all competitions. He’s earned upwards of 30 caps for Belgium and many are looking to him to fill the gaps left now the likes of Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens are no longer around.
Jorginho
Italy’s Jorginho already has one European Championship medal under his belt, but he’d love to add another in 2024. He didn’t feature as many times as he would have liked for his club in 2023/24 (24 league matches), but he’s well-established for his country and often raises his game on the biggest stage.
Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz might well have missed the Euros completely had he not found form at Arsenal during 2023/24. Luckily for him (and the Gunners) the German had his best season for years, scoring 13 goals in 37 Premier League games. Okay, it’s hardly Haaland standards, but given that he averaged just over six league goals for Chelsea during his three seasons there, it’s a step in the right direction. At the of writing, he’s scored 17 goals in 47 games for Germany, and he’ll be hoping to add a few more to that tally during the Euros.