Arsenal will wear new kit for the first time against Bournemouth, but Mikel Arteta will not like it
Arsenal are set to face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, and they will wear a new kit for the first time.
Mikel Arteta’s squad are aiming to continue their unbeaten start to the season, and Arsenal have a strong record at Bournemouth, with some memorable moments in the past.
One of Arsenal’s most enjoyable wins in recent years was a 3-0 thrashing of Bournemouth at the start of the 2022-23 season. Martin Odegaard scored a brace and William Saliba netted his first goal from long-range.
Arsenal wore their popular pink third kit in that game, which they had debuted on the opening day victory at Crystal Palace. It was a kit which fans loved, and associated with the iconic win at Bournemouth.
Now, Arsenal will debut their new third kit at the same ground, with the light blue top set to be worn for the first time, but like the pink strip, it may not be seen again any time soon.
Arsenal to debut third kit away at Bournemouth
Arsenal’s new third kit is in a very light shade of blue, which is almost shiny in sunlight, and shares a similar pattern to the pink kit from two years ago.
It has not been worn by the senor side in any competition yet, but it will now appear for the first time as Arsenal take on Andoni Iraola’s team.
Bournemouth’s home kit is a mixture of red and black, meaning that Arsenal’s home and away kits will both clash, and Arteta’s side will have no choice but to use their third kit. However, Arteta may not be too happy.
Why Mikel Arteta may not want Arsenal to use third kit
Remarkably, after Arsenal wore their pink kit against Bournemouth in August 2022, they never wore it again, with the black away kit regularly used over the course of the campaign.
It was recently reported that Arteta has a huge say in deciding which kits his side wears, and he had a strong preference for the darker away kit than the lighter third kit two seasons ago.
“Arteta has even expressed preferences over what kit Arsenal wear on a matchday. He had a particular preference for the black away kit of 2022-23, as he liked the intimidating image it helped create,” The Athletic revealed.
