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Arsène Wenger admits he has had his reservations about doing pre-season tours of the far East in the past, but believes the time is now right for Arsenal.
The manager hopes that the Gunners can become a global brand and increase its fan base in Asia by playing there this year.
The team has always toured Austria in the past, but begins training on Monday before taking on sides from Malaysia and China.
On the experience, Wenger said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
