Gunners still faces questions at left back, Smith Rowe inches towards the door and Timber returns: FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED from Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth

Arsenal’s pre-season got underway on Wednesday night in Carson, California, with a somewhat disappointing penalty shootout win over Bournemouth.

During regular time the two teams drew 1-1.

Fabio Viera scored Arsenal’s only goal in the 18th minute from an assist by Reiss Nelson, but Mikel Arteta’s side conceded an equaliser in the 73rd minute from Antoine Semenyo.

Ultimately, Arsenal decided to take the shootout at the sixth kick.

ISAAN KHAN was present in California, where he highlighted five things we learned from this friendly gathering.

New season, same problem

The same burning question from last season returned: who will play left-back? A long-term injury to Jurrien Timber saw Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko fill that spot last season, with varying degrees of success.

Tomiyasu was the most certain, but he is injured again. Expected signing Riccardo Calafiori, who can play in several positions in defence, is not yet an Arsenal player. That gave Myles Lewis-Skelly the chance to start at left-back.

The highly praised Lewis-Skelly, who has been training with the first team since the end of last year, usually played in midfield in the youth academy.

Mikel Arteta has high hopes for the 17-year-old and is behind the scenes shaping him into an inverted left-back. A prototype of Oleksandr Zinchenko, you might say.

Based on this display, the teenager could well be part of Arsenal’s first team this season, having stood out in every aspect of his game.

His defensive work was good, he made some well timed tackles and he was certainly not pushed back or targeted by the Bournemouth attack.

But it was the ease with which the defender could cut into midfield that really stood out, poking holes through the defence when on the attack, which saw him given a big push to the ground after 33 minutes.

He has good footwork and a quick pace that allows him to penetrate the field and act defensively when the ball is lost.

Arteta’s Lewis-Skelly Project is now bearing fruit.

Nwaneri finds his way in the match

Since Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest ever player in the Premier League – at 15 years and 181 days against Brentford in September 2022 – his rise has been expected, but it has been slow.

He came on as a 77th-minute substitute as Arsenal beat West Ham 6-0 in February, but has had few first-team opportunities since.

Arteta has not given him the playing time that many fans have been asking for.

That’s what made tonight so crucial for him. He took his chance, okay, the Gunners outfielder to play the most minutes here. In six minutes, his serpentine run from the Gunners half split the opposition defense and outpaced a number of players.

The groans of the crowd were audible. His confidence is clear, he wants to go forward when he has the ball at his feet.

The key for Nwaneri is minutes. The talent and potential are there, but he needs to play to excel further. He might have liked to have had more impact on the game in certain periods, but that is unrealistic at the moment, as he has hardly played for the first team.

Whether Arteta can integrate the 17-year-old further this season remains to be seen, but if not, a loan move could be a possible route.

Emile Smith Rowe’s exit time is approaching

HOURS earlier, news had broken that Fulham had close to reaching an agreement for Emile Smith Rowe.

That made his place on the bench tonight expected. Arteta made seven substitutions in the second half, but not the attacking midfielder.

A very clear sign that the exit is closed. Similar to how he was made captain for the last 20 minutes against Leyton Orient on Saturday — a whiff of a friendly farewell gesture.

If the reported £35m figure is correct, it would be a deal that would work out well for all parties, regardless of how much Smith Rowe is loved here.

That is a fair amount and after a previous season in which he was plagued by injuries and only started three times, he is eager to play.

If this is the end for Smith Rowe at Arsenal, then at least his last minutes in a Gunners shirt were as captain.

The song ‘Saka and Emile Smith Rowe’ may be outdated, but his crucial goals in the 2021-22 season will not be forgotten.

Arsenal brings 12 youth players to the US

During Arsenal’s American pre-season tour last year, there was only one youth player in the squad: Amario Cozier-Duberry.

This time, twelve young players were taken on this tour, as experienced players such as Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were given extra rest after the European Championship final.

However, the departure of many young talents who failed to break into the first team may have had an impact on this ambition.

Cozier-Duberry and Reuell Walters are among the talented players who have left.

Record-breaking youth player Chido Obi-Martin is also likely to leave.

A club like Arsenal, which has a rich history of youth players, cannot afford to continue to let this kind of talent leak away.

Perhaps this tour will give the academy players that little bit of extra hope for their future at the North London club.

Timber makes encouraging return to the field

IT was a rewarding sight to see Jurrien Timber fully fit again, ready to go; it was the reward for eight months of hard recovery after injuring his anterior cruciate ligament in August.

He played as a central defender, a different role for him at Arsenal, but one he is not unfamiliar with.

Timber has played several roles in defense throughout his career.

Bournemouth were physically hounded by the Dutchman, for starters, who forced himself on both Dominic Solanke and Romain Faivre when they got forward.

Some of the tackles were laced with pure aggressive intent, his yellow card in the 53rd minute was certainly justified.

But when we saw him back, physically ready to reach his full potential, we realised the Gunners have a new, menacing signing who is raring to win.