Arsenal

Arsenal, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are all interested in 29-year-old France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is a free agent after leaving Juventus. (Gazzetta, in Italian), external

Arsenal are close to a £25m deal to sign 28-year-old Spain midfielder Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad. (Mirror), external

Nottingham Forest are not looking to cash in on 24-year-old English midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, despite interest from Newcastle, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea. (HITC), external

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

Earlier, we asked for your thoughts on Arsenal's pre-season friendly loss to Liverpool.

A selection of your responses was published on this page a short while ago (12:37 BST) and of all the messages we received, almost universally, you said it further demonstrated why the Gunners need to sign a new striker this summer.

So, who is a realistic target for the club to be going after? Send your suggestions of players who you think could make the difference for Mikel Arteta's side in 2024-25.

Get in touch here, external

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard says he is "disappointed" by the 2-1 pre-season defeat to Liverpool but believes it has been a "good tour" of the United States.

The Gunners followed up a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth and a 2-1 win over Manchester United with the defeat at Lincoln Financial Field before immediately flying back to London to prepare for a friendly tournament with Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon at Emirates Stadium.

"Yes, it is always disappointing when you lose but I think in general it has been a good tour and we are gaining a lot of fitness and some good answers in the game," Odegaard said post-match.

"We obviously wanted to get a win and we are a bit disappointed in the game but it’s pre-season."

New signing from Bologna Riccardo Calafiori did not feature against the Reds due to only having only trained once since arriving in the US but Odegaard has still been impressed by his impact.

"I think everyone saw it straight away in training that he is a top player," the Norway international added.

"He is a top, physical defender with a presence on the pitch. I am sure he is going to give us a lot. We are happy to have him on board and looking forward to seeing more from him."

When asked if Arsenal were likely to make further signings after Calafiori, Odegaard added: "To be honest, I don’t focus on those things.

"I am very happy with the squad we have at the moment. We’ll have some more players back at the end of the week, looking forward to that.

"We are in a good moment and need to keep pushing to be ready at the beginning of the season."

We asked for your views on Arsenal's 2-1 defeat by Liverpool in a pre-season friendly.

Here are some of your comments:

Kelvin: Same old story, we need a good number nine. Please Arteta, buy a striker.

Goonerjohn: In this pre-season we have shown that we are going to be back in the race for the league next season, but right now I still think we are missing that out-and-out striker. It's not good that we are relying on Kai Havertz for our goals, it feels like we are resembling Manchester City before Erling Haaland. Yes there are a lot of positives but we need a goalscorer.

Steve: Disappointed as a strong starting XI go 2-0 down, with our forwards on show again not netting good chances. Please get a world level finisher.

Neville: Last season showed and this game offered further highlights that it's pretty obvious Arteta needs to sign a striker.

Allan: I know it was only a pre-season game with a makeshift team, but Arteta's comment of "we need to punish teams" seems very reminiscent of his comments during last season. Can we rely on Gabriel Jesus to last the full season without injuries? I can't help feeling that we are still missing an accomplished goalscoring forward.

Tony: Definitely need a goalscorer that scores more than fails to score. It has been Arsenal's Achilles heel for sometime and nothing will change until a reliable goalscorer is added to the squad.

Marseille would be willing to pay around £17m for Arsenal's English striker Eddie Nketiah, 25, with talks expected to continue between the clubs over the coming days. (Telegraph), external

Leicester's attempt to sign 24-year-old English winger Reiss Nelson from Arsenal has stalled, as he is out of the Foxes' price bracket. (Leicester Mercury), external

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

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter in Philadelphia

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Mikel Arteta has called upon Arsenal to punish teams if they are to avoid defeats such as the pre-season loss to Liverpool when the Premier League restarts.

The Gunners were well on top in their pre-season encounter with Mohamed Salah's opening goal coming against the run of play and Fabio Carvalho adding a second.

Kai Havertz pulled one back just before half-time and in an even match, the Gunners were simply the victim of wasteful finishing amid calls from some supporters to sign a striker.

Arteta believes his players can and must score their chances, saying: "We have to punish teams. It's an area where we can obviously improve. The first chance they had, they scored, and that's what makes the difference as well.

"We created the situations. We had two or three more big situations as well. We have to improve."

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Liverpool handed Arsenal their first defeat of pre-season thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho, with Kai Havertz offering the sole reply for the Gunners.

Arsenal fans, let us know your thoughts on the match, external

What did you learn from the performance, Reds supporters?, external

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Our chief football news reporter Simon Stone has watched Arsenal in the United States on their pre-season tour and he has been answering some of your questions.

Tommy asked: Is there any way Arsenal will see two up top with Gabriel Jesus and Havertz playing alongside each other?

Simon replied: However you look at it, the issue is Mikel Arteta can only name 10 outfield players. At least four have to be defenders and two in central positions in midfield, which leaves four. I assume Bukayo Saka will be one of those, so we are down to three.

If you play two players as orthodox forwards, one has to push onto the last defender, otherwise it all becomes too congested in the centre of the pitch. I think it is quite possible Havertz and Jesus could start in the same team. Whether it is alongside each other, I am more dubious.

Stuart asked: Is it fair to say that the only thing possibly standing between Arsenal and a league title next May is a true out-and-out goalscorer?

Simon replied: Can I just qualify this, Stuart? I suspect you mean an out-and-out goalscorer who scores goals. Because having a striker that doesn't score enough - and I am thinking 20 here - is a bit of a liability.

Whisper it very quietly, but as a team, I think Manchester City were more effective before Erling Haaland signed. Haaland, quite obviously, is an out-and-out scorer, who scores.

I rate Dominic Solanke highly and Ivan Toney always gets a mention. But for the money you would have to spend, I would have to be convinced those players would score a lot of goals.

And I'm not.

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Our chief football news reporter Simon Stone has watched Arsenal in the United States on their pre-season tour and he has been answering some of your questions.

Richard asked: Arsenal seem to be interested in a midfielder rather than a striker this summer. Who do you think is the ideal signing for Arsenal - midfielder or striker?

Simon replied: That is an interesting one, Richard. I think the plan is to move Kai Havertz further forward and with Emile Smith Rowe leaving, I can see why Mikel Arteta is looking at his midfield options. That said, with uncertainty over the futures of Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson, there could be a gap up front.

These are very much first-world problems because Arsenal's starting line-up is phenomenal. However, Arteta will be wary. He knows so many clubs lost players to injury last season and with the Champions League first phase expanding to eight games, the demand on his squad will be huge. He will want every eventuality covered.

Paul asked: Are the squad looking sharp enough yet for the first game of the season?

Simon replied: Like many clubs, Arsenal won't really know where they are until the five players not with them in the United States - Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, David Raya and William Saliba - link up with the squad. It was a major bonus getting Riccardo Calafiori in quickly enough for him to play some part in the US, both in terms of training and basic introductions.

Wolves and Brighton at home and a trip to Aston Villa looks a hazardous opening before the first international break. It will be too much to expect Arsenal to be at peak form - but they need to be advanced enough in fitness terms not to drop points.

Dylan asked: We need to do well in the Champions League this year. Do you think we have the squad to compete with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern?

Simon replied: I certainly do, Dylan. I also think Arsenal have the squad depth, which will be vital this season. I don't think anyone at the club will lose sight of the fact the Premier League is the major target after going so close, but Arsenal have the players to give any team a game.

The problem with the Champions League is that it can come down to fine margins. Real Madrid beat Manchester City on penalties in the quarter-final, scored two late goals to knock Bayern out in the semis and were outplayed in the first half of the final by Borussia Dortmund. I realise Real Madrid seem to perform these kinds of feats routinely in the Champions League but no-one wins it without fine margins going their way.

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We put your Arsenal questions to our chief football news reporter Simon Stone, who has watched the Gunners during their tour of the United States.

Will asked: How do you see our back line shaping up this season after the addition of Riccardo Calafiori? Who starts and how many at the back?

Simon replied: What a good question. Mikel Arteta certainly hasn't told me.

The central defensive combination of Gabriel and William Saliba was excellent last season. I know it sounds easy to shift that to a three-man defence but it is not completely straightforward. Jurrien Timber was earmarked for the inverted right-back role last season but got injured, so Ben White came in and he did a fabulous job.

I suspect Arteta does see left-back as the area where improvement can be made, either because of injury or inconsistency, and Calafiori did play there previously for Bologna.

Arteta will have a plan, that's for sure.

Rob asked: Some of the Arsenal fanbase are suggesting Oleksandr Zinchenko is no longer fitting the team properly. Have Arsenal outgrown him now? Can he tweak his skill set or find a new positional role in the team? Or do we sell if a good offer presents itself? We do appear to have a lot of options now on that left side.

Simon replied: I really like Zinchenko. I think he is a great personality to have around the team and has bags of ability. But sometimes I think he switches off in games and that leads to mistakes. That can be in possession or a defensive lapse or positional.

The demands at the top of the league are enormous. There was a reason why Zinchenko couldn't nail down a regular place at Manchester City. Given Arsenal paid £30m, I would be fascinated to see what the response would be is someone offered them that now.

What do you think Arsenal should do with their Ukraine full-back?

Make your selection over here

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We put your Arsenal questions to our chief football news reporter Simon Stone, who has watched the Gunners during their tour of the United States.

Joe asked: How is Martin Odegaard looking? He’s seemed like a bit of a machine this pre-season.

Simon replied: One of the major plusses for me in covering pre-season tours in the United States is that matches are played overnight [UK time], which means I get to watch far more of the game that is normally the case, when I usually have my head over my laptop.

That has given me the chance to truly appreciate Odegaard.

There was a moment against Bournemouth last week where he controlled the ball, then released a team-mate with a backheel in almost the same motion. Aside from fitness, speed and strength, awareness and execution are the abilities that take players beyond being simply talented. Odegaard has both. As long as he stays fit, Arsenal will not be too far away from the major prizes.

Zack asked: Who should we keep an eye on as a surprise star for the team this coming season?

Simon replied: If you are talking youngsters, Ethan Nwaneri has impressed on the tour. But it is asking a lot for a 17-year-old to make an impact at a club like Arsenal.

This would hardly be a surprise but I am looking forward to seeing how Jurrien Timber adapts to the Premier League. He was sensational in pre-season last year and has looked good on this trip also. We need to see whether he has recovered from his major knee injury well enough to make the impact anticipated 12 months ago.

Bearing in mind he is capable of operating in a number of different positions, he certainly has the potential to be a star.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Players like Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund are already suffering from hamstring injuries two weeks before the season even starts - and they say the modern preparation regimes are better, safer and more scientific!

They probably are better. At least the players do not have to go through some of the borderline sadistic routines that previous generations did. Back then, after a decent length of summer break, pre-season meant working incredibly hard over a short period of time to get yourself back in top condition fast.

Sprinting up and down gigantic sand dunes against the clock until many players were physically sick was de rigueur, alongside other road runs and track work.

Here is the weird part: I used to look forward to that, the way a class swot looks forward to exams. Being smaller, lighter and a committed long-distance runner all my young life, even before I became a pro footballer, it was, if not exactly a piece of cake, then certainly much easier for me than most of the rest of the team.

I have asked many modern managers what they would prefer to do in a perfect world during their pre-season. The most common answer is "just about anything other than what we are forced to do now!"

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We asked for your views on Arsenal completing the signing of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori and who the club should target next.

Here are some of your comments:

Sam: This looks like a great signing! You can never be 100% until you see them in the shirt, but he fits the Arteta profile and I think he'll offer a better all-round option than what we already have. I think we'll see Arteta experimenting with a back three this season, which Calafiori suits perfectly, being able to step up into the six role in possession.

David: Calafiori should be a good signing. Allows us to sub out Saliba and Gabriel to rest them. Gyokeres has to be our next signing though. We need a striker, and he's the last piece to ensure that we end next season with the trophy in the Emirates.

Zac: We are going to win the Premier League next season but I think there is one thing we can do to strengthen the squad. We should sign a clinical striker like Osimhen!

Annelise: Calafiori is your classic Italian defender and is a ruthless player on the pitch. If he plays left-back we will surely have the best defence in the league. Personally my only real worry is where Timber will play, but if Rice plays more as an eight he could potentially play as a six.

John: I think Arsenal will win the league this coming season. With the addition of Calafiori, who I believe should be able to play CDM for us in case Thomas Partey and Jorginho are injured, the team looks solid and Martinelli should be able to cover the striker role. Nothing will stop us winning the league.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott wants to see his old club turning the negative of missing out on the Premier League title two seasons running into a positive as they look to end their 20-year wait for a championship crown.

Walcott was part of the last Gunners squad to finish second, behind surprise winners Leicester in 2016.

He feels Arsenal failed that season, which is not an accusation that could be levelled against Mikel Arteta’s current side, after their 84 and 89-point hauls.

“The 2016 season was one where no-one really played well, and Leicester were brilliant,” he said. “That was a chance missed for us.

“It’s going to be different this year. United will be better. Chelsea will be better. Liverpool are a bit of an unknown.

“What you have to do is turn the negative into a positive. Don’t dwell on negative things and get yourself into little cliques. You have to create a good group environment and forget about the noise.”

Walcott feels Arteta has created a winning culture at Arsenal by bonding the whole club together, from the first team through to the academy.

“We can see other clubs now going through the kind of difficult transition Arsenal went through (after Arsene Wenger left) when you are trying to get the balance right,” he said.

“It’s like Liverpool now. It is hard to be the guy after (Jurgen) Klopp. That is what happened at Arsenal. (Unai) Emery is an incredible manager but it is all about the timing. It takes time to go through big change.

“You have to get everything right, from the top all the way down. I am not just talking first team. I am talking about the academy side as well. That is the future.

“Mikel is starting to learn a lot more as a coach and as a man. It is really exciting to see.”

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

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New Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori cannot be expected to "take off as a rocket", says Italian football journalist Daniele Verri.

The 22-year-old completed his £42m move from Bologna on Monday and will join the Gunners on a five-yeardeal.

The versatile left-footer only joined the Serie A side for £3.3m last summer and had attracted interest from clubs across Europe after being one of the standout players in a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign for Italy.

However, despite strong credentials, there is no guarantee he will walk straight into the best defence in the Premier League last season.

"He is moving from Italy to England, so there will be a period of adjustment for him," Verri told BBC Sport. "We can't expect him to take off as a rocket from day one.

"He will need to adjust to the speed of game and the characteristics of the game. They play different football and he will need to understand that, but I'm sure he can pick it up because he has what it takes to do it.

"He's 22. Arsenal didn't buy him to be the best defender in the first month of his contract. He is a player who can be massively important in the long run, not just for this season."

The Italy international played 33 matches across all competitions for Bologna and proved to be key for the side as they secured Champions League qualification.

The difference with and without him in the team was stark. He featured in 30 Serie A games, with Bologna winning 16 and losing just three (drawing the other 11).

In the six games where he did not feature after signing, they won two, drew two and lost two.

Having run Manchester City close in the past two Premier League campaigns, Mikel Arteta will intend for Calafiori to help them break through for the title.

"If Arsenal want to improve the results of last season they can only win the league, so they have brought players in who can make them stronger," Verri added. "[Calafiori][ is not only an investment for the future but is a player who could be a regular starter for Arsenal.

"He has all it takes to impose his presence and be successful in the Premier League - but this is a massive step for him."

Our chief football news reporter Simon Stone is in the United States following Arsenal's pre-season tour - and he's ready to answer your burning questions about the Gunners.

Ask what you would like to know and we will put a selection before him for his inside take.

Submit your questions here, external

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Riccardo Calafiori on joining Arsenal: "I spoke for almost two months with the coach and Edu. But I was already really convinced to come here. For me, it is the best project that I could have to improve as a player. There were other clubs but I don’t care anymore. I am here and I want to win trophies. This is the best project because the team is young and can win trophies.

"My mentality is to win. It begins with training and I want to give this to the team. I can play in different positions, I don’t care where but I just want to play. I am here and need to keep improving day-by-day in training. As soon as I am really fit, I hope to help the team."

More from manager Mikel Arteta: “It took a while as we have been monitoring him for over a year. We were really short in the back line in terms of numbers last season. We demanded so much from them. Willy [Salbia] and Gaby played almost every minute. We identified him as a player and talent who can give us the skills and qualities that are going to make us better. You sign a player with huge capacities to develop. It increases the competition and quality. It will take time because he has come from another league but his English is really good, he has a really good understanding of what we want because I explained it to him. He is so excited so we go day-by-day.”

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Pat Nevin, former Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger writing in his Football Extra newsletter:

The pre-season friendlies are in full swing and let's be straight about this, the players generally hate these games, whatever they say.

They clearly haven't had enough rest in the summer, it is a grind getting your body back into peak shape, especially if the accumulated injuries from last season haven’t been allowed to fully recover.

The games themselves are weird affairs, where you would like to win but that is nowhere near the most important thing. Fitness, integrating new players, possibly a new manager and sometimes a new system are each more important. You also know full well that it is a hotch-potch of a team selection to give players minutes. The fans, mass media and social media will read far too much into every game and every performance.

From within the team itself, there are different motivations. A young or new player being given his first chance will be racing about like an overexcited spaniel. Other experienced players will be easing themselves back into it, the primary concern in their minds is to be fit and healthy come the first weekend of the Premier League season.

‌Deep down they don't worry if they get thumped by Celtic or DC United on their US tours, nobody at Chelsea or Aston Villa will remember or care about these results in two weeks' time.

‌Unless of course you are a DC or indeed Celtic fan. The Celts just beat Chelsea and Man City. Now that is impressive pre-season form or is that just Scottish bias.

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