There was a surprise face in Arsenal training on Monday as Mikel Arteta’s side prepared for their Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.
The Premier League leaders will look to continue their good run of form when they welcome the La Liga giants to the Emirates on Tuesday night.
And after winning their first two Champions League games against Athletic Club and Olympiakos, the Gunners can move to the top of the league phase table.
Atletico will provide a stern test, so Arteta will be grateful that he has no new injury concerns following Saturday’s win at Fulham, while Piero Hincapie is now fit and available following a groin issue.
But eagle-eyed fans also spotted a free agent who came through the Hale End academy training with the first-team at London Colney ahead of the match.
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Tyreece John-Jules spent 15 years at Arsenal but failed to make a senior appearance, though he was in the matchday squad for the Community Shield win over Liverpool in 2020.
Nevertheless, the striker was and remains a popular figure at the club and is even close friends with summer arrival Noni Madueke.
After being loaned out to Lincoln City, Doncaster Rovers, Blackpool, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town and Derby County, John-Jules was released by Arsenal last year.
He went onto sign for Crawley Town but failed to score in 27 appearances last season as the club were relegated from League One and he became a free agent once again.
Still without a club, the Gunners recently invited the 24-year-old to train with their youth sides in order to keep fit, and it seems he is now helping the first-team with their preparations too.
The players seemed in good spirit ahead of the Atletico clash, notably joking around with coach Gabriel Heinze, with Arteta heaping praise on the former Manchester United defender, who joined his staff over the summer.
‘My feeling is that they really love him, which is normal,’ the manager said in his pre-match press conference.
‘But the rest of the coaches are the same. They are all very different characters, but the relationship and the bond that we have with the players, I think it’s unique and I think that’s something very, very powerful in the team.
‘Gabriel has added something different, that willingness to win. We’ve seen that through his career, that experience to win and to elevate somebody’s level, ambition and drive to the highest limit, and he’s extraordinary at that.’
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