Arsene Wenger believes his side’s
pre-season tour of Asia will provide vital preparation for the coming season as
Arsenal look to end their six-year wait for a trophy.
TheGunners will play in Kuala Lumpur against a Malaysia XI on July 13 before taking on Chinese side Hangzhou Greentown on the July 16.
Wenger told the club's official website: “The group will live together in a completely different environment so it is very important to have that kind of experience together.”
“It is an opportunity for us to develop our game, to see what shape the
players are in when they come back and also to see any new players that we have. It will be important to see how well they can integrate with the team.
“We will take the best possible squad. We travel after the first week of
training [and] everybody will be back so the whole squad will travel.”
Arsenal in previous years have declined the opportunity to play in tournaments in the Far East in favour of shorter trips to Europe but the Arsenal boss has admitted it is a good opportunity to reach out to the
Gunners fan-base in Asia.
“I resisted for a long time but, as the Premier League becomes more and more a world league, it is important that we develop our fan bases,” said the Frenchman.
“China is a massive country where football is developing. The Premier League is a world brand and you don’t want to miss out in a country where you have so many potential fans.
“The organisation will be great, the hospitality will be great. People always try to help you out so I am not too worried about the aspects that you are usually worried about when you go on a long trip.
“The fact that I have worked in Japan and I have been to Malaysia and China, I know how well people want to do for you and so I am quite peaceful to go there.”