Arsenal's dream XI with Man City raid if they're kicked out of Premier League

Arsenal have the perfect conditions to steal some of Manchester City's best players if they are relegated from the Premier League

Amid the chaos and uncertainty surrounding Manchester City at the moment, Premier League rivals Arsenal may stand to benefit the most. City have been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges that were put against them by the Premier League for breaching financial rules between 2009 and 2018.

One of the most serious transgressions City have been found guilty of is arranging ‘sham contracts’ with commercial partners. The Etihad club are still denying the charges and continue to voice their innocence, launching a formal appeal against the landmark independent commission verdict.

While no decision has been reached yet regarding their punishment, City could face an array of sanctions, including a hefty points deduction and potentially even expulsion from the Premier League. In the case of the latter, a mass exodus could follow, with the club unable to offer its high-profile stars their current wages or the sporting success that brought them to the club in the first place.

Adding to the doubt surrounding the future of their players, barrister Paul Gilroy KC recently explained on the Stick to Football podcast how players could be entitled to rip up their contracts following the guilty verdict, owing to a breakdown in trust and confidence. Even if that is not the case, a fire sale would be expected, which is the norm in situations where a team is relegated.

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In that scenario, several City players would certainly be keen to remain in the Premier League. More specifically, they would want to join a team of similar calibre, most notably title rivals Arsenal. Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, who worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach at City between 2016 and 2019, will already be aware of which players he would like to grab from under their noses.

The most obvious is Erling Haaland. The Norwegian ace is City’s star player and indisputably one of the most devastating strikers on the planet, capable of regularly reaching 40 goals a season.

Arsenal have missed such a striker since the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and it is arguably their biggest obstacle to dominating both domestically and in Europe for years to come. Arteta currently doesn’t have an elite player who lives and breathes goals - Bukayo Saka’s best season several years ago saw him manage 20 in all competitions.

Haaland would be an automatic starter if he makes the bold move to team up with his international colleague and Gunners skipper Martin Odegaard. He has showcased his deadliness countless times against the north Londoners, scoring six goals across the eight Premier League meetings between them since arriving from Borussia Dortmund.

Arteta has shown a preference for Kai Havertz over Viktor Gyokeres until now, but both would have to play second fiddle to the Norwegian goal machine. Of course, the biggest hurdle for Arteta in the event of City’s relegation would be actually managing to convince Haaland to snub interest from the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, and potentially burn all bridges with City by joining Arsenal.

But there is another City ace who could potentially prove even more useful in red and white. The Gunners are still notably short of a world class left winger, as shown by their failed pursuit of Kenan Yildiz and Vinicius Junior in the summer.

While Christos Tzolis has shown promise in his early days at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta is well aware that he needs more goals, guile and pace in that position. Jeremy Doku is the perfect player to provide those absent traits.

The Belgian is a better dribbler than anyone in the current Arsenal squad and has the explosiveness to beat several men, taking some of the pressure off Saka on the opposite flank when it comes to creating chances.

Many Arsenal fans have already voiced their preference for Antoine Semenyo, who was linked with the Gunners prior to his move from Bournemouth. While the Ghanaian is a more natural finisher, Doku is the better chance creator, managing 23 league assists compared to Semenyo’s 13 across the past three seasons. Crucially, Doku already has far better chemistry with Haaland too, as he is someone that looks to set up the striker rather than go for goal himself.

There are several more City stars that would suit the Premier League champions, who are less of a priority, given Arsenal are already well-stocked in most positions.

Josko Gvardiol is a typical Arteta signing. The Croatian is a robust and pacey defender, capable of playing in central defence and full-back at a world class level. He would get in the team over Piero Hincapie, but current first-choice left-back Riccardo Calafiori is the better player and is more suited to this current Arsenal side with his attacking endeavour.

In midfield, City’s summer signing Ayyoub Bouaddi had originally been a target for Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta. The Moroccan youngster has a very promising future but would find it difficult to displace any of Arsenal’s current midfield options: Declan Rice, Myles-Lewis Skelly, Martin Zubimendi or Bruno Guimaraes.

And so, without further ado, here is Arsenal’s potential line-up if City’s squad is ripped apart following the guilty verdict:

GK: David Raya

RB: Jurrien Timber

RCB: William Saliba

LCB: Gabriel Magalhaes

LB: Riccardo Calafiori

CM: Declan Rice

CM: Myles Lewis-Skelly

CAM: Martin Odegaard

RW: Bukayo Saka

ST: Erling Haaland

LW: Jeremy Doku