The summer just flew by, and here we are on the precipice of a new campaign, with Arsenal setting out to defend our Premier League title. It wasn’t the most convincing pre-season, truth be told, but the ultimate litmus test was always going to be the Community Shield. And lad, did we put on a show at Wembley.
Now, Community Shields are rarely a reliable bellwether for the grueling months ahead. We’ve all seen Wenger’s side dismantle Guardiola’s City 3-0, only to end up in another desperate scramble for top four while City cruised to the title. But this time around? It felt like a proper statement of intent.
Slicing them open in the very first minute with a mouthwatering pass was our way of telling them to sit right back down. Keeping a clean sheet while comfortably expanding our lead into an embarrassing scoreline sent a crystal-clear signal across the league: “Your daddy Pep is gone, and you’d better bow down to the new king in town.”
A drop-off under Maresca was always on the cards. Guardiola was the best manager in the land, a monumental motivator, and lacking that aura in the dressing room was bound to affect every single player on the pitch. I’m convinced that’s precisely why City opted for Maresca over Kompany. Kompany’s no fool; he didn’t want to step in right after Pep’s high tide, choosing instead to wait until the inevitable post-Pep hangover played out under his successor. Smart move, you have to admit 🤷.
We sat back and defended for long stretches rather than bossing possession, which is an area I desperately hoped we’d improve on this term. But as long as we keep the opposition at arm’s length, I won’t lose sleep over the style of play. With that out of the way, let’s dive into some individual performances.
First off: Tzolis. What a player! I’d already tipped him to rack up decent numbers in red and white this season, but his display against City completely shattered my expectations. Our Greek winger possesses two elite qualities: firstly, he doesn’t panic under pressure or blindly boot the ball into channels (as Noni or Gabi are prone to do); he calmly picks out sensible, constructive options, which explains his stellar assist tally. Secondly, his physical strength and ball protection under pressure are superb and help him actually choose a dangerous attack continuation. Frankly, any lack of raw pace is a non-issue when he can unlock defenses purely through composure and vision.
Ben White no longer has the legs to pocket rapid wingers for 90 minutes now, but his tactical intelligence as an attacking full-back remains top drawer. Odegaard rose like a phoenix, playing with a swagger we haven’t seen in ages. And Calafiori remains our ultimate wildcard—capable of causing absolute chaos in any opposition defense.
Rice and Saka were both in the matchday squad and featured on the pitch, evaporating my grand hopes of giving them a proper summer rest. I just hope Arteta manages their minutes sensibly over the coming month—ideally keeping them under 60 competitive minutes a week. Meanwhile, Jesus and Martinelli were nowhere to be seen, as expected given their impending departures.
Also glaringly absent was Ethan Nwaneri, despite featuring right through pre-season. Rather than giving him the final 15 minutes of a wrapped-up game, Arteta gave the nod to an almost anonymous Eze. If that isn’t a dead giveaway that the hierarchy wants him out the door come September, I don’t know what is.
What frustrated me dissapointed even more was seeing Max Dowman—who dazzled again in pre-season—stuck on the bench while Arteta doubled down on his pet project, Madueke. It’s glaringly obvious Arteta personally demanded his signing, because the usual ruthless standards seem completely relaxed for Noni. No end product, questionable defensive effort, and completely disconnected from the front line—yet he keeps starting. The only silver linings with Noni are tiring out full-backs before Saka enters the fray and winning the odd penalty. But it’s painful watching a far superior talent like Max get sidelined for the manager’s stubbornness.
The one only Hale Ender who did get a runout was Myles. And boy, did he light up the ground! That assist was the sort you re-watch five times on loop and still can’t get enough of—a piece of magic no other central midfielder in our squad could execute. Yet, the persistent whispers about him leaving refuse to go away. Arteta tried to quash them in his presser, but Richard Garlick’s coy comment about being “open to offers” leaves a right bad taste in the mouth.
I don’t know what Arteta and the board are thinking, but selling Myles should be completely off the table. Doing so would prove they haven’t got the foggiest about this club or its supporters. Arsenal has always been about more than cold, hard business and the fanbase takes proper pride in it. Flogging a Hale End graduate who broke into the first team across TWO!! different positions and made them his own is unfathomable. Myles literally saved Arteta’s reputation back in April. Without him anchoring our midfield, we would’ve choked the title, and Arteta would’ve been branded the ultimate “always the bridesmaid.” In that tense West Ham title-clincher, when senior stars like Arteta’s prized Zubimendi were playing like soft boiled zucchini, Myles stood tall and helped to carry us over the line. Not to mention he looked right at home on the biggest stage of all in the Champions League final.
The only silver lining is that perhaps it’s MLS’s camp stirring the pot to signal that Myles won’t settle for being a League Cup benchwarmer. And honestly, can you blame them? Arteta is notorious for running his favorites (Zubi and Rice) into the ground until it’s practically impossible to avoid rotation. His reluctance to rotate proactively is one of his biggest tactical blind spots, with most changes last year forced by injuries or dire form.
Community Shield in the cabinet, but the transfer window rolls on. Early Thursday, Ornstein dropped the bombshell I feared was coming: Arsenal are splashing £51m+£4m on Ezri Konsa. I have nothing against the lad personally; he’s a solid 7/10 defender with proven Premier League pedigree who offers reliability. He fits our defensive setup, though I doubt he’s got the recovery pace of Big Willy Saliba to snuff out counters.
What grinds my gears about this deal is that instead of funding long-term squad health and overall tactical development, a massive chunk of our budget was blown just to secure the 26/27 Premier League title. Not the Champions League—where defensive depth was never our undoing—and not a strategic upgrade to our front line. Just a short-sighted punt on this domestic campaign.
We’re dropping £51 million on a player who’ll be warming the bench by January 2027 once Saliba is fully fit. A sensible, forward-thinking purchase would’ve been a top-tier right-back to compete with Jurrien Timber, considering Ben White won’t stick around for too long. Plus, Ben or Jurrien could easily step in as experienced cover at center-back if the club lacks faith in Mosquera—who was brought in specifically to be Saliba’s understudy!
Konsa isn’t a natural right-back, and deploying him there makes him another stopgap that weakens our attacking fluency. Nobody can question Mosquera’s work rate or skills when he played on the right, but we could all see that he is a center-back through and through. And how must Christian feel right now? His main position is right-sided center-back; he’s held his own at Anfield, the Etihad, and in a Champions League final, only to be pushed down the pecking order because we bought a 28-year-old. How is a young player supposed to develop if we splash cash on a replacement the minute he deserves trust and the chance to shine?
I know the usual “the club knows best, you armchair manager” crowd will chime in. Save it—the club doesn’t always get it right! Last summer, when Madueke rumors surfaced, 95%+ of the fanbase were dead against it—there were literally petitions! But the club pressed ahead because Arteta was obsessed with the idea, and lo and behold: total flop. Not only did he set us back £52 million (bonuses paid in full, no doubt), but he completely blocked the pathway for two prospects with far higher ceilings. One bagged 10 goals in Madueke’s position the previous season, and the other would’ve matched it easily given the same game time. Yet our manager stubbornly sticks with Madueke to prove someone a point, at the direct expense of developing superior talents.
So yes, the fans knew better than the “professionals.” I got the logic behind “win-now” signings last year—we desperately needed a major trophy to shatter that psychological barrier. But that’s in the bag now; we don’t need to think short anymore. Look at our squad: who could we sell right now without taking a massive hit on performance? For me: Madueke, Gyokeres, and Martinelli. I’d even throw in Eze (who still looks alienated often and will mostly bench-warm when Odegaard is fit) and Zubimendi (who offered little of note in the run-in, though maybe he flourishes alongside Bruno G, but that is yet to be seen).
Most of these players were snapped up with a short-sighted “win-now” mindset, and bar Zubimendi, we’ll be lucky to recoup half our money. Now we’re stuck with deadwood blocking genuine upgrades up front. That’s the cost of signing 27+ year-old stopgaps: today’s temporary quick-fix becomes tomorrow’s financial millstone. And that’s exactly what the Konsa transfer represents - another stopgap that will become a burden in future.
To top it off, our attacking depth still hinges on Gyokeres, Madueke, and Martinelli—a trio that simply doesn’t gel. We can barely afford to play one of them without neutering our attack. Yet instead of saving our budget for a genuine attacker, we blow it on another center-back when we already have Mosquera, Salmon, Timber, and White capable of covering there!
And don’t get me started on our inability to sell players. Gabriel Jesus—acting like a right diva—is being overly picky about his destinations. Frankly, stick him in the U18s until he sorts out a move; he’s clearly overstayed his welcome at the club. Meanwhile, we’re getting offered peanuts for Martinelli while Spurs pay £90m for Savinho?! How on Earth does that happen? How can a top Champions League scorer for Arsenal draw a paltry £40m bid from Italy while a City flop with two goals commands £90m down the road? Our negotiating team is clearly lacking something, and it’s so disappointing to see almost everyone around succeed.
Anyway, I’ll wrap up the ranting because the real action starts tonight! Newly-promoted Lampard boys, Coventry City visit the Emirates for our season opener, and I expect us to dispatch them comfortably. Promoted sides always come out for their return into a big stage determined to have a go, leaving acres of space behind them. I’m backing a goal-filled evening—something like a lively 4-1 or 4-2 win. But above all, I just want to see those final frames of the Premier League matchday preview clip, if you know what I mean 😉