Arsenal confirm 25-man Champions League squad including teen yet to make debut
Arsenal have announced their squad for the Champions League – and the 25-man group contains a few surprises.
The Gunners get their Champions League campaign underway against PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates Stadium on September 20. They are in Group B with the Dutch side, Europa League winners Sevilla and French side Lens.
Mikel Arteta has now confirmed his squad for the competition. Summer signings Declan Rice and Kai Havertz are included, but there is no place for fellow new arrival Jurrien Timber following his serious knee injury.
Timber required surgery on an ACL injury sustained on his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest last month. Arsenal have not set a timeline for Timber’s return but he can be added to the squad in January for the second half of the competition if his rehabilitation goes well.
With Timber unavailable, there is a place in the squad for Cedric Soares. The Portuguese full-back was expected to leave Arsenal over the summer transfer window, but the Gunners could not find a club to take him.
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And with Kieran Tierney having joined Real Sociedad on a season-long loan, Arteta has included 18-year-old Lino Sousa. The left-back is a regular for the Arsenal under-21s, having made 32 appearances for the team, but he is yet to make his first-team debut.
Alongside Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya is James Hillson – a 22-year-old goalkeeper who made the bench on three occasions in the Europa League last season. He is another player who has yet to play for Arteta’s first team.
Lino Sousa is yet to play for Arsenal's first team (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Arsenal will be able to make changes to their Champions League squad during the group stages, but the 25-man limit stays. They can register January signings or previously injured players up until the last-16 stage begins in February.
Arsenal squad
Goalkeepers: Aaron Ramsdale, David Raya, James Hillson
Defenders: Cedric, Lino Sousa, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ben White, Gabriel, Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba
Midfielders: Mohamed Elneny, Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe
Forwards:Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus
Arsenal will be competing in the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season. Arteta admitted during the pre-season tour of the United States that the Gunners were signing new players with the Champions League in mind.
"It will be more difficult for sure because the league is going to go to a different level again, which is already incredible," he told ESPN. "And obviously playing the Champions League, which we haven't played in many years at the club.
"That's why we need a different squad from what we had last year, I think what we've done this summer is related to that, and more quality as well, for sure."
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