Arsenal

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter at St George's Park

Image source, Getty Images

England Under-20 boss Ben Futcher praised the performance of goalkeeper Tommy Setford following the 1-0 defeat by Switzerland at St George's Park.

Setford has been a regular member of England's age group squads and made his senior debut for Arsenal against Preston in the EFL Cup last season.

The 19-year-old was in England's Under-19 European Championship squad last summer but has suffered a number of niggling injuries in recent months, the latest forcing him out of a Premier League 2 game against Brighton in August.

Setford was outstanding against Switzerland, making a string of excellent saves despite finishing on the losing side.

"He had a fantastic game," said Futcher. "When he had to make saves he did and his distribution is good.

"It is good to get him back into an England shirt and playing. He is a pleasure to work with.

"He will be being looked after by some excellent people at Arsenal. Hopefully he can go back to his club and keep developing."

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal have been sanctioned for breaching FA Cup ticket rules for last season's third-round tie against Manchester United.

Competition rules require clubs to provide the opposition with 15% of the tickets issued.

The Gunners did not comply with this for the match against United in January and have been given a suspended £500,000 fine by the Football Association's Professional Game Board.

The FA said the fine would be triggered if Arsenal are unable to confirm they can comply with competition rules this campaign, or if they then fail to comply with the rules on ticket allocations in this season's rounds.

Joshua Zirkzee scored the decisive spot-kick as 10-man United won the tie on penalties.

Declan Rice says he is enjoying his "adjusted" role so far this season which he is occupying for both Arsenal and England.

"I think now I'm more of a box-to-box number eight," he said after captaining the Three Lions in their 3-0 friendly win over Wales.

"The manager has adjusted my position at Arsenal a bit this year to give me a bit more freedom to drop deeper but to also get in the box when I can and it's the same with Thomas [Tuchel].

"That really suits me on the left side of midfield, being able to get back, be an all-round action midfielder, [which] is what I want to be.

"I'm just enjoying my football and it's another season where we have started strong with England and with a team at Arsenal. Hopefully there's positive things coming."

Rice has a goal and three assists already for the Gunners this season and is enjoying working under both Tuchel and Mikel Arteta.

"I have two managers that lay it out really easily with the gameplan in what I have to do and where I have to be," he added.

"I'm the one that has to go and execute it.

When you have confidence in football you feel unstoppable at times and I think I ended the season really strong last year.

"I probably didn't start the first one or two games of this year, of this season, as good as I wanted but I have picked up my form now.

"I feel really strong, I feel fit, I feel really confident in my game. Hopefully the only way is up from here with England and Arsenal."

Did you know?

• Thomas Tuchel is the third manager to win as many as six of his first seven games in charge of England after Glenn Hoddle (1996-1997) and Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001 - both also six).

• England scored three goals inside the opening 20 minutes of a match for the first time since November 1987 against Yugoslavia (Peter Beardsley, John Barnes and Bryan Robson).

Image source, Getty Images

Bukayo Saka says he is "starting to feel good again" after recovering from the hamstring injury that disrupted his start to the season.

The 24-year-old missed the last England camp in September through injury, but returned to the squad to score The Three Lions' third goal in the 3-0 friendly win over Wales on Thursday to make it three goals in his past three games for club and country.

His superb strike at Wembley was his 13th for England, making him Arsenal's highest scorer for the men's national team, overtaking Cliff Bastin.

"I started the season and picked up an injury, which kind of killed me a bit," Saka said.

"I'm still not my sharpest but I'm starting to feel good again. I have scored in the past three games and I want to continue like that."

"I want to take the way I perform with Arsenal to England, perform better in games and be more effective.

"I was really gutted that I had to miss the last camp. Coming back into the camp and getting the opportunity to score is an amazing moment."

When asked if England's squad depth and competition for places is similar to Arsenal's, Saka added: "It's pretty new to me, but at the same time it is fair and healthy.

"It is only going to get the best out of me and any other players.

"It's about us pushing each other and getting us to perform at the best level."

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Who will step up as playmaker in Martin Odegaard's absence?

That is one of the questions submitted via the 'Ask about Arsenal' form, after the Arsenal captain suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee.

Odegaard has already missed four games this season with a shoulder injury and it was Mikel Merino who replaced him for three of those games.

The Spaniard played alongside Declan Rice with Martin Zubimendi sat behind them, a move that made them defensively stronger, but perhaps at the expense of creativity.

Merino has made 27 forward passes this season in six Premier League appearances and created two chances, according to Opta.

That is better than Eberechi Eze's 14 forward passes and one chance created. The England international, however, has completed more passes into the final third [23] than Merino [22] despite playing the same amount of games.

Summer signing Eze seems the most obvious choice of replacement on paper because he has mainly played as a number eight since making the switch from Crystal Palace.

He might have only created one chance, but he has impressed with his pace and tenacity when called upon to impact games.

But if Arteta wants a like-for-like replacement then left-footed Ethan Nwaneri is the player he could turn to.

Despite breaking through the senior team as Bukayo Saka's replacement last season, he is widely regarded as a central midfielder rather than a wide option.

However, for that reason, minutes for the 18-year-old have been hard to come by this term and he has been an unused substitute in four of Arsenal's nine opening fixtures.

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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It was a perfunctory, routine home win over West Ham but it gave a huge psychological lift to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

They are still picking up points even as they pick up injuries to key players. Because of their squad depth, it is having little or no impact so far.

The new acquisitions generally look like they are fitting in effortlessly to the Arsenal style.

Martin Zubimendi is a controlling as well as a comforting influence, while Eberechi Eze has calmly grown into the group, improving week on week. Noni Madueke was brilliant before his injury, but the point is that there is now back-up to spare.

Arteta may never have a full squad to choose from this season - but, right now, that isn't stopping him.

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We asked for your views on Arsenal's plans for extending the capacity of Emirates Stadium.

Here are some of your comments:

Alun: I've been a supporter all my life, and I pay for four memberships annually (for myself, my two adult children, and my junior gunner). It's almost impossible to guarantee tickets even though I essentially have three silver memberships. The expansion would be very welcome. Allowing more fans to attend games and hopefully reducing prices in the long term.

Aditya: In principle, this makes sense. Arsenal have demonstrated the ability to consistently generate ticket sales at high value per ticket and would put them in line with the top end of stadium capacity. With their global popularity, they could sell out even 20,000 more seats! That's equal to one more world-class player every year!

Amy: The stadium needs a proper renovation, not just an expansion. It's looking very dated and hasn't aged well at all in only 20 years.

Mark G: Fantastic development for the club. More fans to cheer the team on, more income and a bigger stadium than Tottenham - what's not to like?!

However, some fans were sceptical about stadium expansion.

Alex: Don't. The current ticket demand may be ephemeral. It will ruin the architecture. 70000, we go mid-table again and loads of empty seats. Just please don't do it. The stadium is beautiful as it is, and yes, its lightness puts it ahead of Tottenham's stadium.

Mark: I find it disappointing that after only 20 years at the Emirates, they feel it is not big enough! Not brilliant forward planning! I also feel playing home games at Wembley only becomes an incentive for the visiting teams.

Image source, Getty Images

So, Arsenal have held internal discussions about expanding the capacity of Emirates Stadium.

It understood the talks were about the possibility of changing the seating plan in order to add thousands of seats as the Gunners look to keep pace with the largest stadiums in the country.

The Emirates has a capacity of 60,704, making it the fifth-largest stadium among English football clubs.

The possibility of home matches being played at Wembley Stadium if work was to take place has been discussed.

Next year will mark 20 years since the Gunners made the move from Highbury.

So, what do you think? Is expansion what you want to see and how badly is it needed? And is it what the focus should be on right now?

Get in touch with your views here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

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Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has been an invaluable asset for the Gunners since joining from Brentford, initially on loan in August 2023.

The 30-year-old has missed just six Premier League games since moving across London to the Emirates, while he's played every single top-flight minute for Mikel Arteta's side since keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw at Manchester City on 31 March 2024.

Along with impressive longevity, Raya's performances have been consistently good.

Since making his debut for Arsenal in a 1-0 Premier League victory against Everton at Goodison Park in September 2023, the Spain international has kept 33 clean sheets – at least six more than any other Premier League goalkeeper during this period.

While Raya's tally of clean sheets has undoubtedly been boosted by keeping goal behind a formidable defence, his shot-stopping ability – sometimes seen as a weakness – also stands up to the best.

His Premier League save ratio currently stands at 70.7% - a record bettered by only three other first choice goalkeepers over the last two-and-a-bit seasons.

Raya also goes the longest of any keeper in between conceding a goal, letting one in every 114 minutes in the Premier League.

Former Manchester City stopper Ederson is second on this list, conceding a goal every 96 minutes, with Liverpool's Alisson third on 84 minutes.

Laura Kirk-Francis
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

When the final whistle went on Saturday, signalling an end to Arsenal's unremarkable 2-0 win over West Ham, there was a palpable sense of relief. This has been a banana-skin fixture for Arsenal in the past two seasons. Both times, the visitors have returned to east London with the three points.

Although Arsenal cruised to victory this time around, the topic of the atmosphere at Emirates Stadium has reared its head once again. Fans have spoken about how flat the crowd felt, particularly given Arsenal's dominant play and the fact the result meant leapfrogging Liverpool to top the league going into the international break.

From where I sit - both literally and metaphorically - it is no surprise that this specific game did not produce a ferocious atmosphere. West Ham, currently 19th in the table, offered no real threat to the Gunners, bar a corner in the first minute of the game.

Arsenal were in control throughout, and hardly needed to get out of second gear to get the win. Forgettable, routine wins are part and parcel of a title-winning season.

On further examination, fans have pointed to a change in how Arsenal administer tickets. In 2023, the club introduced a ballot system, meaning fans have equal chances to buy tickets regardless of how many times they have previously attended. This has largely been dismissed as a cause for the quiet atmosphere, though, as season ticket-holders still make up the majority of the ground.

Some fans also point to the 2022-23 season for when the stadium was at its loudest. But during that time, Arsenal were surprise title challengers. Nobody expected the Gunners to be in the title race, but suddenly they were.

Fast forward three years, and it has naturally become a case of fearing dropped points, rather than celebrating expected wins.

I would love nothing more than the Emirates to be rocking every game, but I do not believe it is a massive failure if the ground is a bit quieter for a 3pm kick-off against a side in a relegation battle.

I will be reserving my judgement of the crowd for November's north London derby.

Find more from Laura Kirk-Francis at the Latte Firm podcast, external

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Real Madrid are unlikely to sanction a January move for Turkey midfielder Arda Guler, 20, despite interest from Arsenal and Newcastle. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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We know what you're thinking: "At this early stage of the season, the title race is just too hard to call."

If only we had access to a supercomputer which could assess the remaining fixtures, crunch the numbers and come up with a percentage chance of each team finishing in each position.

Wait a minute, Opta has that very thing! Phew.

With seven games played, table-toppers Arsenal look to be the most likely champions, with the heavy caveat that there are still 31 games left to play this season.

The numbers are significant though - the Gunners have been given a 44.23% chance of winning the Premier League, while Liverpool are only rated as having a 30.61% chance of defending their crown.

Fifth-placed Manchester City are the only other side in double figures, with a 14.32% chance of winning a seventh title in nine seasons under manager Pep Guardiola.

Alex Howell
Arsenal news reporter

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It is fair to say it has not been the easiest of starts for Viktor Gyokeres, who has not scored for six games after three in his first four, but that does not mean there are not signs to show things will get better.

The striker started the campaign playing catch-up with his fitness after a disrupted pre-season.

Kai Havertz's injury has meant he has been thrust into situations earlier than perhaps planned - it has also meant his relationships with midfielders behind him have been highlighted.

The striker is a willing runner who constantly looks for space, and he also tries to be an option to hold up the ball when Arsenal look to play forward quickly.

Gyokeres is an imposing figure, but so are the majority of centre-backs in the Premier League - and he will have to adapt if he is going to get the better of them in physical battles.

Whenever questions are asked about Gyokeres, his mentality and stubbornness are brought up as two of his qualities.

That will help in the Premier League, especially with the expectation around his signing so high. This is a player whose shirt sales broke records at Arsenal when his deal was completed and his number announced.

There is a visible want from his team-mates for it to click for him, with Gabriel Martinelli looking to let Gyokeres' shot go into the net against Olympiacos on Wednesday before it hit the post and the winger tapped it in.

Gyokeres' style of play is perhaps not easy on the eye like some of the silky forwards in the Premier League, but there are signs he can be effective.

With Arsenal's more direct style of play and a midfield designed to get the best out of him, he has all the tools at his disposal to succeed.

The question is, will he be able to use them?

Read Alex's full piece on Gyokeres here

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Arsenal and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Arsenal fans

Guy: Another good performance from Arsenal. A match like this we would've lost or drawn last season. We could've scored a few more but we kept a clean sheet which is important. Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice are phenomenal.

Chris: At last, Arsenal are showing what they can do and are creating a fully interchangeable squad capable of overcoming any injury issues. Let's fulfil the promise going forward.

Daniel: Professional job done against a weaker team in a transitional period. Worry about Rice and Martin Odegaard but we have strength in depth now so not as much of a worry as last season. Great to be top at international break but its a marathon not a sprint so staying grounded.

Paul: Brilliant performance by the lads. Bukayo Saka looked electric on the wing and Rice looked calm in the midfield. Unlucky that Odegaard got another injury but at least we have depth in that position. Overall, a good win to lead the Premier League.

West Ham fans

Rob: No miracles yet for the Hammers, but the team is playing a lot better under Nuno Espirito Santo's management and there are bigger games still to come with teams in and around the bottom half after the international break. A big three points is up for grabs in the next home game against Brentford.

Matthew: It was always going to be a difficult task for Nuno, so definitely can't judge him in that aspect. But we defended very resolutely, and under Graham Potter it would've been a cricket score. In Nuno we trust!

Michael: To be honest, you've got to be happy to come away from the Emirates with a 2-0 loss. It's disappointing but have to feel under Potter that would have been a lot worse. Now we've got to start picking up points in the next couple of games!

Simon: It was a loss, which is never nice, but it was expected. But the team looked like a team and the defence in particular looked a lot better than it has. I was very happy Nuno bought on the youngsters. I'm not convinced that Niclas Fullkrug is a Premier League striker.

Arsenal are not giving up in their pursuit of 20-year-old Turkey forward Kenan Yildiz and sent scouts to watch him as Juventus played AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday. (Tuttosport - in Italian), external

Meanwhile, the Gunners are hopeful they can agree the terms of a new deal with Bukayo Saka, 24, during the international break to keep the England winger at the club for the long term. (TBR Football), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Martin Odegaard made 45 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions last season and is usually the go-to man for Arteta.

It was injuries that derailed their title challenge in 2024-25, with Odegaard himself having a spell on the sidelines with an ankle problem.

But this season things are different in north London.

The Gunners spent around £250m in the summer transfer window, bringing in eight new players, and that squad depth has already played a massive part in their strong start to the campaign.

Arteta was able to call on £60m Martin Zubimendi to replace Odegaard and it was his long pass to Eberechi Eze which started the move from which Declan Rice scored the opening goal

Rice also went off with a back injury - but Arteta was able to bring on Mikel Merino and academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri in a real show of squad strength.

The Arsenal manager has already said that the "finishers could be more important than the starting players this season" - although he will hope that he won't have to keep going to his squad because of injury issues.

"It's not ideal because we had really clear intentions with the line-up," he said. "But the good thing is we can bring somebody else in and be a little bit different but still very, very efficient."

Read more on how Odegaard set an unwanted record against West Ham

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

• Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland

• Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool