Arsenal

Oli Price-Bates
Fan writer

It is essential that Arsenal add a forward before the deadline and sort out their goalkeeping department.

The club have done well to clear the decks with significant sales for Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe and a sensible loan for Fabio Vieira.

Ethan Nwaneri looks trusted to soak up some of those minutes, but with an intense schedule to come, Arsenal must not leave themselves short as they search for major honours.

With Gabriel Jesus injury prone and Gabriel Martinelli misfiring, Arsenal look short in attack compared with their rivals.

Whether a centre-forward or a wide forward, this squad needs a fresh injection into the frontline.

It is hard to see who that could be at this stage of the window, but the club have always been fans of former Leeds United winger Raphinha, a player capable of playing across the frontline.

Someone of that level and versatility would be welcomed. Nico Williams remains my preference, though a deal appears unlikely.

There is also the goalkeeping situation to sort out. Aaron Ramsdale is set to join Southampton and will need to be replaced.

Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia looks to be that replacement, but Arsenal also want to add a third-choice homegrown option, with Sam Tickle and Dan Bentley among those linked.

With around £100m in sales this summer, Arsenal fans are rightfully expectant of at least one other major arrival before the deadline.

Find more from Oli at The Fresh Arsenal Podcast, external

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Arsenal's Champions League draw is complete - Mikel Arteta's side finally know which eight clubs they will meet in the new 36-team league format.

As a reminder, all of the teams that have qualified for the Champions League this year will be in one 36-team league phase, rather than the past format of eight four-team groups.

The Gunners will face: Paris St-Germain [H], Inter Milan (A), Shakhtar Donetsk (H), Atalanta (A), Dinamo Zagreb (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Monaco (H), Girona (A).

The order in which those fixtures will take place will be announced on Saturday by Uefa.

Champions League group phase dates:

Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024

Matchday 2: 1-2 October 2024

Matchday 3: 22-23 October 2024

Matchday 4: 5-6 November 2024

Matchday 5: 26-27 November 2024

Matchday 6: 10-11 December 2024

Matchday 7: 21-22 January 2025

Matchday 8: 29 January 2025

Champions League knockout stage dates:

Knockout round play-offs: 11-12 and 18-19 February 2025

Round of 16: 4-5 and 11-12 March 2025

Quarter-finals: 8-9 and 15-16 April 2025

Semi-finals: 29-30 April and 6-7 May 2025

Final: 31 May 2025, Munich

See how the rest of the draw panned out

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Manchester City, Arsenal Liverpool and Aston Villa are about to find out who they will face in the new league phase of this season's competition.

Follow it all unfold here

Interim head coach Lee Carsley has named his first England squad for September's Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Newcastle defender Tino Livramento, Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, Lille's Angel Gomes and Chelsea's Noni Madueke are the four new caps named.

The transfer deadline is almost upon us, so tell us what you've made of your club's business and if more is needed?

Send your thoughts here, external

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Brighton have won three of their seven Premier League away games against Arsenal (D1 L3). They are one of just three teams to have won more or as many visits to the Emirates as they have lost in the competition, along with Manchester City (W7 L6) and Swansea City (W3 L3).

Arsenal will accelerate their efforts to sign Espanyol's Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia, 23, as England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, 26, is set to join Southampton for £25m. (Athletic - subscription required), external

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

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The draw has been made for the Carabao Cup third round, with 17 Premier League clubs having made it through or entering at this stage.

There are three all-Premier League fixtures, including holders Liverpool hosting West Ham in a repeat of last season's quarter-final.

Ties will be played in the weeks commencing 16 September and 23 September.

All the fixtures featuring top-flight sides are shown below:

• AFC Wimbledon v Newcastle United

• Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers

• Brentford v Leyton Orient

• Brighton & Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers

• Chelsea v Barrow

• Coventry City v Tottenham Hotspur

• Everton v Southampton

• Liverpool v West Ham United

• Manchester City v Watford

• Manchester United v Barnsley

• Preston North End v Fulham

• Queens Park Rangers v Crystal Palace

• Walsall v Leicester City

• Wycombe Wanderers v Aston Villa

See the full draw

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Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira has signed for Porto on a season-long loan deal.

The 24-year-old joined the Gunners from the Portuguese side in the summerof 2022.

He has made 49 appearances for Mikel Arteta's side.

The new-look Champions League draw will be held on Thursday from 17:00 BST and you can watch it live on the BBC Sport website.

Teams will discover which eight clubs they will meet (four at home and four away) - but no actual groups will be drawn.

All the teams will be in one 36-team league phase, as compared to the past format of eight four-team groups.

So how will the draw work?

Teams will be placed in four pots according to their seeding. Each team face two teams from each pot, one at home and one away.

A team will be drawn out of a pot and then Uefa's software will decide their eight opponents - and whether they will be at home or away.

It means more matches between the biggest teams. For example, Manchester City could face Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

The software stops teams playing rivals from their own country - and means each team can only play two clubs from any one country.

Uefa says the computer system plans ahead so will ensure no teams further down the line get drawn against teams they cannot face.

How does the new format work?

Teams who finish in the top eight will qualify automatically for the last 16, while those who place ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them.

Whoever finishes 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not be entered into the Europa League.

From the last 16 onwards, the Champions League will continue to follow its existing format with the final taking place at a neutral venue - Munich this year.

The number of matches in the new format will increase from 125 to 189.

Each team will play a minimum of eight - instead of six - and a maximum of 17.

The league phase will now run until the end of January instead of ending before Christmas.

Find out more about the draw and how you can watch it live on the BBC here

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Arsenal’s win over Aston Villa was important for a number of reasons.

It showed they can go to a Champions League club and win away from home and also got rid of the bad feeling from last season where the two losses against Villa severely damaged their title bid.

But the performance of Jurrien Timber also showed what Arsenal missed last season as they were robbed of his presence by injury.

Timber was coming into midfield to build up play with Thomas Partey and him doing so allowed the team to get into a 3-2-5 formation in possession and build up attacks.

He was solid defensively and dealt with the threat of Leon Bailey. He also matches the physical profile of the team that Arsenal have built.

Mikel Arteta having the option to bring him in and rotate at either left-back, right-back and even midfield means that Arsenal have more options when trying to break teams down.

The next step will be if he can create a link with Arsenal's left winger to match what Ben White and Bukayo Saka have built on the other flank.

The signing of Mikel Merino also means he will have a new midfield player to link up with and Timber will be hoping he can build on the positive display to show that he is one of the reasons why Arsenal will go one better this season and push to end their title wait.

As transfer deadline day looms, what do Arsenal need to do before it's too late? Or are you happy with where things are up to?

Tell us here, external

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The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday at the conclusion of the second-round tie between Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.

The seven English clubs involved in European competitions this season, including holders Liverpool, will enter at the third-round stage.

Ties will take place on weeks commencing 16 and 23 September.

Because there are rounds of Champions League and Europa League fixtures also scheduled for those two midweeks, the six clubs involved in those competitions - Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United - will be kept apart to ensure they can fulfil their Carabao Cup tie in the alternate midweek to their European fixture.

Those six clubs will take part in a pre-draw before Forest v Newcastle to decide if they will be at home or away in the third round, with a main draw determining the 16 ties later in the evening.

Should Chelsea progress to the next phase of the Conference League, they will not be in action in that competition again until the start of October.

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BBC Sport football news reporter Nick Mashiter says the signing of midfielder Mikel Merino shows the ambition of Arsenal this season.

The Gunners missed out on the Premier League title by just two points last season but Mikel Arteta has brought in Merino and Riccardo Calafiori this summer to bolster the strength in his squad.

"It shows that Arsenal are really going for the title," Mashiter said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "They are not bringing someone in who needs time to develop.

"He has great international experience and is 28 years old. Leandro Trossard came in at a similar age, so it shows Arsenal want those players that can come in and make an impact.

"Arguably, in a few years they might need to lower the age of their midfield. But what they want now is the title - and they want it this season."

Times reporter Charlotte Duncker added: "It will be key for them if they can get him playing in a number of positions. That way he could deputise for Thomas Partey or Declan Rice, as well as play alongside them.

"Options for Mikel Arteta will be vital if they are to get over the line and win the title."

Listen to the Football Daily Podcast on BBC Sounds

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Arsenal missed out on the Premier League title by just two points last season, with many pointing to their lack of a natural striker as the reason why.

Supporters were expecting to see a new face up front during this transfer window but manager Mikel Arteta has so far opted to strengthen his backline and midfield with the additions of Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino.

The Gunners have brought in Merino because the Spain international is able to play as both a number eight and a holding midfielder position, allowing Declan Rice to continue to play in his more box-to-box role when needed.

At 6ft 2in, he is another imposing figure in the big side Arteta is building.

The club feel he is a big personality with the ability to lead and, fresh from a glorious summer with Spain at Euro 2024, is a proven winner.

They believe he will be a good addition to a group hoping to win trophies this season.

Following the arrival of midfielder Mikel Merino on a four-year deal from Real Sociedad, we asked you for your views on the new signing.

Here are some of your comments:

Lewis: While I think many people will be disappointed with the signing/price/age, I have an inherent level of trust in our recruitment in recent years. I truly believe he will hit the ground running and replace Thomas Partey really well.

Stewart: I was impressed with Merino's impact at the Euros and think he gives us the strength in depth needed in order to rotate Partey and Declan Rice to keep everyone fresh. It has been a brilliant transfer window so far but Edu and Mikel Arteta are still missing that final piece of the puzzle for me - a striker who can get you 20-plus goals.

Malcolm: Arsenal need a top-rate striker not a midfielder. Big mistake.

Ben: Adds steel and creativity to the midfield, and can help accentuate Gabriel Martinelli's strengths along with Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori on that left side, like Oleksandr Zinchenko and Granit Xhaka did. He also knows Martin Odegaard from their time at Sociedad together, where they had good chemistry. I'm excited.

Nigel: Absolutely stellar signing. Arteta and Edu make one hell of partnership. I wouldn't mind a proven number nine before Friday but it's not the end of the season if we don't get one.

Keith: I know, let's buy another midfielder instead of a quality, proven striker. The clock is ticking, particularly in light of the fact that Arteta has delayed contract talks until after the transfer window closes. That's a veiled threat to the Arsenal hierarchy.

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New signing Mikel Merino says Arsenal is the "perfect match" for him and he wants to "fulfil my dreams" with the club.

The 28-year-old completed his move from Real Sociedad on Tuesday, having spent the past six seasons with the La Liga side, making 242 appearances and scoring 27 goals.

"I wouldn't move to a club not aligned with my desires," Merino told club media.

"What I want is to grow, to win, to fulfil my dreams - and I think this club has the same mentality. This is something I value a lot. I value a lot the work they put in every single day.

"I have spoken with Mikel [Arteta] and he's told me the way they work, and I love that way of working as well. So I think it's the perfect match. Now it's time to get to work - the part I love doing - and hopefully everything goes well."

Arsenal have once again strengthened their squad as they look to secure their first Premier League trophy in more than 10 years, having come up short to Manchester City in the past two seasons.

"The thing that inspires me a lot is they keep doing it. They are keeping the hunger, they won't give up and I want to come here and help them achieve their goals," added Merino.

"Obviously they have an amazing team, an amazing squad. I can see they have amazing facilities, amazing staff around them. So I think it's the best mix, and hopefully this year we can do big things together."

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It was a "team effort" to sign "winner" Mikel Merino as the midfielder completes his move from Real Sociedad.

The 28-year-old was part of the Spain squad that won Euro 2024, featuring in all seven matches in the tournament and scoring a late winner in extra time against Germany in the quarter-final.

"Mikel was a key target for us this summer, and we identified him as a player who can fit perfectly into our squad and profile to improve us, as we aim to build on our strong performances of last season," said Arsenal sporting director Edu.

"He brings us an added high quality of experience, physicality and athleticism.

"This has been another great team effort from many people at the club to finalise the transfer of a player who attracted interest from a number of clubs over the summer."

Merino, who has 28 international caps, made 45 appearances for Real Sociedad in 2023-24, scoring eight goals, and has previous Premier League experience having spent a year at Newcastle United before moving to the La Liga side in 2018.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta added: "Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility.

"He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now. Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.

"Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament."

Arsenal have signed midfielder Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad for a fee that could rise to £31.6m

The 28-year-old Spain international joins on a four-year deal with the option of a further year.

What do you make of the Gunners' new signing? Is it a position you wanted Mikel Arteta to strengthen in this transfer window?

Let us know your thoughts here, external

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

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We reported earlier that Eddie Nketiah is close to joining Crystal Palace and a deal for the Arsenal frontman is getting even closer to being done.

The deal is worth up to £30m and believed to be £25m upfront with £5m in add-ons.

Arsenal have given permission to Nketiah to do his medical with the Eagles and it is understood that agreeing personal terms for the England international will not be a problem.