Throwback: Mikel Arteta’s first ever Arsenal starting XI

The Gunners are currently leading the Premier League table, but they have come a long way under the Spanish manager

From the moment he came at the Emirates Stadium till the present day, Mikel Arteta has fully revitalised Arsenal.

After Unai Emery's unsuccessful tenure as the Gunners' manager, he took over. While it took some time to get it right, Arsenal are now a well-oiled engine that is capable of challenging for the Premier League championship.

On Christmas Day in 2019, Arteta managed Arsenal for the first time, travelling to Bournemouth. Dan Gosling scored the game's first goal at the 35-minute post, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's strike in the second half gave the Gunners a draw and allowed them to return to North London.

So where are all the players from that Bournemouth match that resulted in a draw now?

Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno – Fulham

Leno departed Arsenal for newly promoted Fulham in the summer after finding himself frequently on the bench because of Aaron Ramsdale's outstanding play. He sustained an injury during the COVID-19 restart, preventing him from competing for the FA Cup-winning squad.

Right Back: Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Southampton (on loan)

The 25-year-old has had difficulty maintaining his spot in the first squad lately, which has coincided with his stints on loan with West Bromwich Albion, Roma, and now Southampton. Maitland-Niles has made 12 outings for Southampton in all tournaments as of this writing.

Centre Back: David Luiz – Flamengo

The Arsenal fan base was divided by Luiz. The veteran Brazil player frequently committed careless errors that resulted in goals, but he could also be a crucial component of Arsenal's aggressive play from the back. After joining the Brazilian Série A team Flamengo in 2021, he has now made his way back to Brazil with Flamengo at the age of 35.

Centre Back: Sokratis Papastathopoulos – Olympiacos

Sokratis moved from Borussia Dortmund to North London and played with the Gunners for a few seasons. Sokratis was a player Emery signed, and like Luiz, he made mistakes frequently, leading to his departure in January 2021.

Left Back: Bukayo Saka – Arsenal

Saka has been an outstanding representative of Arsenal's outstanding academy since before he debuted his Premier League start in 2019. The quick winger has made a strong impression on the England national team on several occasions, and as of this writing, he has 12 goals and 10 assists in 28 Premier League appearances so far in the 2022-23 season.

Defensive Midfielder: Lucas Torreira – Galatasaray

Another of Emery's acquisitions that didn't go as expected was the Uruguayan. Torreira moved on loan to Atlético Madrid and Fiorentina to play frequently after not being used under Arteta. Last summer, he committed his future to Galatasaray.

Defensive Midfielder: Granit Xhaka – Arsenal

Despite having a difficult few years as an Arsenal player, Xhaka is proving why they spent £30 million to sign him from Borussia Mönchengladbach. He has indeed been essential to Arsenal's victories this year, and the Gunners would be a different team without him. He has grown into a beloved figure for many supporters.

Attacking Midfielder: Mesut Özil – Retired

During the final stages of his tenure at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta benched Ozil, which meant the German was dissatisfied and ended up joining Fenerbahçe in January 2021.

In the Ukrü Saracolu Stadium, he appeared on 32 occasions before joining another Turkish team Istanbul Başakşehir in the summer, and thos year only he announced his retirement from football.

Right Wing: Reiss Nelson – Arsenal

Nelson has indeed been reintegrated into the main squad this season following loan spells overseas. Before moving back to England, he spent time at Hoffenheim and Feyenoord. In his first match back, a 5-0 victory against Nottingham Forest, he scored twice.

Left Wing: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Chelsea

Arteta trusted Aubameyang to spearhead the line since he was a consistent scorer for Arsenal. Nevertheless, some unforeseen events led to the Gabon international leaving for Barcelona at the start of the year and returning to England to play for Chelsea in the summer, and now he is reported to leave the club the Blues next season.

Striker: Alexandre Lacazette – Lyon

Throughout the course of his five years with the Gunners, Lacazette made over 150 appearances. The Frenchman made an impression in red despite not having the most accurate of goal scorers, however after his contract with the club expired in the summer, he transferred to Lyon, the team where he began his professional career.

 The fact that just three of the original lineup still make up Arteta's current team demonstrates how far the group has come since that Christmas Day stalemate at Bournemouth.