Arsenal made a winning start to their Premier League season on Sunday but there are still some questions left unanswered. Riccardo Calafiori’s close-range effort made the difference against Manchester United, but Mikel Arteta’s side weren’t at their best in every area.
New big-money signing Viktor Gyokeres was unconvincing on his first start in England’s top flight, managing just an hour before making way for Kai Havertz. It may well be that Arteta decides the Swede needs more support before deadline day.
Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze is one of those who has been linked all summer long, though Tottenham appear in pole position with Arsenal cooling their interest Whether Eze’s impressive performance for Palace at Chelsea on Sunday could change things remains to be seen.
Gyokeres wasn’t the only new signing involved for Arsenal at Old Trafford, with Gyokeres joined by Martin Zubimendi in the starting XI and Noni Madueke coming off the bench. Kepa Arrizabalaga and Cristhian Mosquera were unused substitutes, while Christian Norgaard missed out with a minor injury.
Arsenal have two weeks left to make any final additions to their squad for the first half of the season.
Palace boss gives Eze update
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has issued an update on Eberechi Eze’s short-term future. The England star got more than 80 minutes on Sunday despite links with Arsenal and Tottenham during the window, and is expected to be available for Palace’s Conference League play-off on Tursday.
“The 15, 16 players who had the most minutes last year are still here,” Glasner told Sky Sports after his team earned a goalless draw at Chelsea. “There are a lot of rumours about Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi but they were 100 per cent with this group in Crystal Palace and they have proved that in a big way.
“Eb should have scored a goal today, he had one and it was disallowed. He will come tomorrow to the Crystal Palace training ground, Tuesday off, we take Wednesday and I expect him to be back playing for us against Fredrikstad.”
Arsenal’s De Jong links
Reports in Spain suggest Arsenal could be in the running to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona. The move would likely not be until next summer, when the Dutch international’s deal in Catalunya expires.
Manchester United have long been linked with a swoop for De Jong, predominantly when his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag was at the helm. With United dropping down the league and appointing Ruben Amorim, though, that chat has gone cold.
We’d still probably take the Arsenal links with a pinch of salt. De Jong hasn’t expressed any desire to leave his current club, even if the much-publicised financial situation affecting Barca could force them to make tweaks to their squad in 2026.
Zinchenko breakthrough
Arsenal utility man Oleksandr Zinchenko is set for Fenerbahce, according to reports in Turkey. The Ukraine international is expected to move on an initial loan with an option to buy, with the package worth a reported £11m.
The 28-year-old has featured for Arsenal in pre-season but wasn’t in the matchday squad on Sunday. The arrival of Calafiori and the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly saw his opportunities limited last term, though he did get some game time in midfield.
ZInchenko’s current Arsenal deal expires in 2026. It is unclear whether the Gunners would urge him to sign an extension before agreeing to a loan exit, having reportedly explored a permanent sale earlier this summer.
