The 2026 World Cup has left Premier League clubs facing significant roster uncertainty, with Arsenal managing injuries to key players like William Saliba and Declan Rice. Meanwhile, Scottish Premiership managers are balancing early-season League Cup competition against the pressures of squad fitness and the integration of new signings.
Arsenal faces physical health risks for Saliba, Rice, and Saka
Arsenal’s Injury Concerns and Summer Market Shifts
Arsenal faces a period of intense scrutiny regarding the fitness of its core squad following the conclusion of the 2026 tournament. According to reporting from the BBC, the club is awaiting medical assessment for centre-back William Saliba, who had been managing a back issue before his tournament was ended by the same problem. His defensive partnership with Gabriel is considered vital to how the team plays, making his potential absence a big loss. The club has not yet assessed the defender via its medical team.
The club is also monitoring the physical condition of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. Both players helped England finish third while managing their own fitness issues. It does not look like they will need a longer lay-off once the tournament is over, but they will be monitored closely by Arsenal before the new season. Beyond injury management, the Gunners are navigating potential changes to their roster. Forward Leandro Trossard has already departed for Turkish club Besiktas in a deal worth £15m after a productive tournament with Belgium where he started all six games and scored twice as they reached the quarter-finals. Additionally, the club is reportedly open to offers for Gabriel Martinelli, whose versatility—specifically his deployment in a central role by Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti—may increase his appeal to potential buyers.
Stephen Robinson condemns the League Cup’s early season schedule
Stephen Robinson’s Criticism of the League Cup Format
While Premier League teams deal with the aftermath of international play, Scottish Premiership clubs are navigating the start of the Premier Sports Cup. Stephen Robinson, manager of Aberdeen, has openly criticized the competition’s current format. As the BBC reported, Robinson feels the group stage, which was introduced in 2016, forces competitive fixtures too early into the pre-season calendar.
“I don’t like the format of the competition. The competitive games come really, really early,” Robinson told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound. “It’s three weeks just into pre-season where you’re playing competitive games and we have to win. You have to win as an Aberdeen manager or a Premiership manager.”
Robinson noted that the early schedule complicates team building, as squads are still integrating many new signings and managing varying levels of fitness within the squad. Ultimately, it's a pre-season game that you need to win, simply you have to win,
he added. Despite these frustrations, Aberdeen has secured two wins from two matches in Group A, defeating Brora Rangers 2-0 on Tuesday followed by a 2-1 win against Queen’s Park at Pittodrie on Saturday. The team is scheduled to travel to face Queen of the South in Dumfries on Tuesday (19:45 BST), followed by a final group fixture at home to Kelty Hearts on Saturday.
Aberdeen competes in Group A against Brora Rangers and Queen of the South
Operational Challenges for Clubs
The broader impact of the 2026 World Cup and early-season cup schedules highlights a recurring tension for clubs: the need to balance competitive success with player welfare and squad development. For Arsenal, the focus remains on ensuring the health of established starters before the Premier League season begins. For Scottish clubs, the challenge is structural. The League Cup format currently involves 40 clubs divided into eight groups. A notable exclusion from the initial group phase is the contingent of Scottish clubs involved in European competition, who do not enter the tournament until the knockout stage from round two.
For managers like Robinson, who won the competition as St Mirren manager last season, the tournament serves a dual purpose: it acts as a venue for testing new tactics and players, yet the pressure to win remains constant. You come to Aberdeen to win things. Cup competitions are your best chance to do that normally,
Robinson said. I've had good success in the tournament, I know what it means to win it but you still have to give people good game time, you still have to try things.
