Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi late Sunday night was one of the 25 Arsenal players confirmed by the club for Monday’s trip to Australia for their pre season programme.
Iwobi was in the team also for the Gunners’ pre season trip to the Asia last year.
There was no place for Nigerian-born England youth international Chuba Akpom in the latest trip, a development that suggests that the youngster who has tasted most of his senior Arsenal career as a loanee outside is on his way out again this summer .
Also missing from the side, apparently earmarked for either summer sales or loan deals include Wojciech Szeczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson and Lucas Perez.
Shokdran Mustafi, Rob Holding, Alexis Sanchez and Calum Chambers were granted extended holidays after their exertions at international competitions this summer while Santi Cazorla, Gabriel Paulista, Rene Jeff Adelaide and Jack Wilshire are recuperating from injuries.
Arsenal will play two warm up matches in Australia before journeying to China where they will play competitive matches before they return to England for the Emirates Cup towards the end of the month.
According to the club’s official website, shortly after arrival in Sydney, Australia, manager Arsène Wenger will hold a media conference, when he will discuss the travelling squad in detail.
On tour, the team will play a total of four matches. Two in Sydney, against local sides Sydney FC on Thursday, July 13 and Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday, July 15.
The squad will later travel to China, where they will play Bayern Munich in Shanghai on Wednesday, July 19, before heading to Beijing where they will play Chelsea in the Bird’s Nest Stadium on Saturday, July 22.
The China games are in the International Champions Cup, the pre season football tournament held across three venues in the Asia, Australia and USA.
Arsenal’s Travelling squad
Petr Cech (GK)
Emi Martinez (GK)
David Ospina (GK)
Krystian Bielik
Cohen Bramall
Francis Coquelin
Mohamed Elneny
Olivier Giroud
Alex Iwobi
Sead Kolasinac
Laurent Koscielny
Alexandre Lacazette
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Donyell Malen
Per Mertesacker
Nacho Monreal
Reiss Nelson
Eddie Nketiah
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Mesut Ozil
Aaron Ramsey
Theo Walcott
Danny Welbeck
Joe Willock
Granit Xhaka