Arsenal handed huge transfer incentive as true impact of Premier League title laid bare

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Eleven Arsenal players withdrew from international duty in March - and now we are starting to see why.

In the past week or so, the extent of various fitness issues managed by the likes of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice , Bukayo Saka and William Saliba has been laid bare.

It's no secret they had all been juggling injury problems during the business end of the campaign but their sacrifice has now come with consequence.

Saka, for instance, is not involved in every England training session and despite being an undisputed starter for Thomas Tuchel, the expectation is that his fitness will have to be managed until the knockout stages, at the earliest.

He has been battling Achilles tendinopathy since March having also previously suffered separate hip and hamstring injuries earlier in the season.

Rice, who has seen Saka's struggles first hand at club level, insists the cautious approach by Tuchel and England medical staff is the best way forward.

The £105million midfielder, forced off against Croatia , has been battling neural hamstring pain since Christmas .

The problem is thought to have required injections and it's abundantly clear that Rice requires a significant period of rest to fully heal.

Pain in captain Odegaard's knee "is only starting to ease," while Saliba revealed on Saturday that he's going to have to play through back discomfort at the World Cup as he is still "not 100 per cent."

All three respective nations have the quality to go deep at the tournament and that could come at some cost to Arsenal and Mikel Arteta .

The World Cup final is scheduled to take place on July 19 and just four weeks later, the Premier League champions are in Community Shield action against Manchester City in Cardiff .

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It puts Arsenal in an awkward position. If they have learned anything from Liverpool's disastrous summer transfer window in 2025, they will resist any temptation to make wholesale changes to their title-winning squad.

However, Arteta and co-chair Josh Kroenke have already made it abundantly clear that Arsenal will not be standing still.

Collectively, they must hatch a plan to ease the burden on Saka, Rice and Saliba - three players who made a combined 154 appearances for the club last term - without damaging the squad's harmony.

Odegaard, who missed 27 games due to various injuries, could be one of several casualties.

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There is no denying that Arsenal's unsuccessful Quadruple bid, which was still alive in late March before it went up in smoke following defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, has weighed heavily upon Arteta's stars.

Ending the gruelling 22-year wait for Premier League title glory was notably tough but defending it, given the injury problems Arsenal players are currently experiencing, looks even more complex.

Sporting director Andrea Berta's recruitment will also be key. Last summer he bolstered the squad depth following a record transfer splurge; now, signing adequate cover and competition for Rice should be among his top priorities.

Arsenal have already partially learnt how to cope without Saka and Odegaard but playing without Rice and Saliba, while they rest up in the early part of next season, is a daunting proposition they may have to come to terms with.