Arsenal’s pre-season preparations, which will commence when the club’s professional players return to London Colney for training a week today, will take a somewhat different course than usual this year, with the traditional curtain raiser against Barnet at Underhill and subsequent tour of Austria, which had been a staple of Arsene Wenger’s build-up in previous years, scrapped in favour of a Far East tour which will incorporate matches against a Malaysian XI and Hangzhou Greentown, before a return to Europe for friendlies against Cologne and Benfica, sandwiched in between which will be the Emirates Cup and the return of the club’s all time leading goalscorer, Thierry Henry, to Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal’s large batch of young professionals all possess different aims going into their preparations for the new campaign, with some hoping to make the plane for that tour to Asia, whilst others will simply be seeking to re-build their fitness with the Reserves and under-18s.

Here is a player-by-player breakdown of what each individual will be seeking to gain from this pre-season.

Benik Afobe

Off the back of an impressive loan spell with Huddersfield, Benik has stated that the decision now rests with Arsene Wenger as to whether he is provided with an opportunity to fight for a place in the first-team squad or go out on loan. Should he impress sufficiently in training then, depending on the situation with the club’s other strikers, Benik could see himself make the plane to Asia, although the more likely option is that he will feature for the Reserves before embarking on another loan spell, this time in the Championship.

Chuks Aneke

Having earned a new contract following a series of impressive performances in the Reserves, Chuks is in a similar position to Benik in that he will be hoping to impose himself on the first-team this pre-season but, if not, will likely feature for the Reserves and the diligent midfielder is one of several youngsters likely to go on loan next season.

Emmanuel Frimpong

Emmanuel looked to have made his mark last pre-season before injury struck and he spent almost the entire 2010/11 campaign on the sidelines. With Francis Coquelin away with France U20s and Craig Eastmond recovering from injury, Frimpong should get his chance to shine again this time around and is a prime candidate for the Asia Tour. A loan spell, in some capacity, is likely option at some point this coming season.

Daniel Boateng

Despite having established himself as a Reserves regular, first-team opportunities still appear some way off for Daniel and he is likely to spend pre-season with the Reserves, possibly captaining them on occasion. Another who could go out on loan later in the season.

Craig Eastmond

Still recovering from the injury that prematurely curtailed his loan spell with Millwall, much will depend on his fitness but, if all goes well, he could travel to Asia, where he will look to compete with Frimpong for a place in the squad as cover.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

His spell at Cardiff wasn’t the most fruitful and he will be looking to use the Asia Tour as an opportunity to prove to Wenger that he can be part of his plans for the forthcoming campaign. Another loan spell in the Championship, however, is likely.

Sead Hajrovic

Another who is far away from the first-team at present, Sead’s form was rather inconsistent last campaign and he is likely to spend another season in the Reserves, possibly operating more regularly in his favoured centre-back position.

Gavin Hoyte

Also recovering from a long-term injury, it is likely that this coming campaign will be his last in an Arsenal shirt, with another loan spell, once he has regained full fitness, likely to precede a permanent transfer to a lower-league club.

Henri Lansbury

Perhaps the most capable of achieving a first-team breakthrough, much will depend on the future’s of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri but, should he impress sufficiently in Asia, Henri could find himself promoted to the squad as cover.

Sean McDermott

Showed some signs of improvement last season, and made his debut for the Reserves, but still a long way off achieving his dream of becoming the club’s number one goalkeeper. Could compete with Martinez for Reserve-team duties this season if Shea goes on loan.

Ignasi Miquel

Made his breakthrough last season with two appearances against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup but could find his pre-season plans somewhat disrupted by participation in the FIFA U20 World Cup.

Conor Henderson

Also possessing a sprinkling of first-team experience, Conor is also likely to travel to Asia before embarking on a loan spell.

Rhys Murphy

Appears in desperate need of a successful loan spell if he is ever going to come close to reaching the immense potential he displayed as a goalscoring schoolboy.

Oguzhan Ozyakup

Having extended his contract at the club, Oguzhan should be introduced to the professional game this coming season via a loan spell. Should train with the first-team but competition for places means a place on Asia Tour seemingly unlikely.

James Shea

Provided much-needed first-team cover last season and, this time around, after spending pre-season in the Reserves, is likely to go out on loan.

Luke Freeman

Ended the season well with the Reserves and is likely to remain in the second-string set up during pre-season before embarking on what will hopefully be a more successful loan spell than his time at Yeovil.

Gilles Sunu

Unlikely to be seen at London Colney this summer due to his participation in the FIFA U20 World Cup with France, he should embark on what will be his third loan spell thereafter.

Nico Yennaris

Gradually easing his way back to fitness after injury, he is likely to play a key role for the Reserves this pre-season.

Damian Martinez

Poised to represent Argentina at the aforementioned U20 World Cup, he could return as the Reserves’ number one goalkeeper.

George Brislen-Hall

Having worked hard to earn a professional deal, George will be looking to use pre-season to establish himself as a key member of the Reserves set-up.

Jernade Meade

In a similar situation to Brislen-Hall, Meade will be hoping for more opportunities as a left-winger.

Martin Angha

This should be the campaign in which Angha asserts himself as a Reserves regular.

Elton Monteiro

Will also be hoping to break into the Reserves, but will spend most of his time with the under-18s.

Jamie Edge

Similarly to Monteiro, Edge is likely to remain with the under-18s in pre-season after failing to enjoy a consistent run of performances last time around.

Zak Ansah

Now fully over his injury troubles and having signed a pro deal, Zak will be seeking to spend as much time as possible with the Reserves this pre-season and has been touted as a potential loan target for Charlton next season.

Kyle Ebecilio

Will be granted an extended holiday following his participation at the U17 World Cup and is likely to return as part of the Reserves set-up.

Carl Jenkinson

The new signing has been promised first-team game time this pre-season and, should he impress sufficiently, will be promoted to the first-team squad as cover for Bacary Sagna.

Francis Coquelin

Another participant at the U20 World Cup and, as revealed yesterday, his immediate future will not be decided until the culmination of that competition, with Lorient hopeful of re-signing him on loan.

Kyle Bartley

Possesses first-team ambitions and Wenger will assess him this pre-season before considering offers of an extended loan spell at Rangers.

Pedro Botelho

Reportedly set for another season in Spain, this time in the top flight.

Ryo Miyaichi

Is likely to revel in returning to his home continent with Arsenal and, should he shine, the club may make another attempt to apply for a work permit.

Samuel Galindo

Unlikely to return to London Colney, with another loan spell in Spain the most likely option.

Sanchez Watt

Has become somewhat isolated from the first-team picture over the past 18 months and is unlikely to make the cut for Asia, so will be seeking to impress in the Reserves.

Wellington

Reported loan target for Levante, he is likely to be spending a few days training with Arsenal before a decision is made.