Arsenal

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal will have some big matches to navigate in the league phase of the Champions League if they are to be as dominant as they were last season.

The Gunners will face Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, a team they played in pre-season, at home and travel to play Bayern Munich away during this stage of the competition.

Arsenal had a 100% record in last season's league phase but will have to beat three of the most recognisable sides in the tournament to repeat that this time.

The rest of the fixtures for Arsenal, although tough, will see Mikel Arteta's side go into them as favourites.

The Gunners lost to Real Betis in pre-season without their full squad so will hope to make up for that when they face the Spaniards in Seville.

Arsenal also take on Lille and Champions League newcomers Sabah at home and play Napoli and Slavia Prague away.

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Arsenal's draw is complete - Mikel Arteta's side now know the eight sides they will be meeting in the Champions League's 36-club league phase.

The teams were seeded into four pots based on their results in Uefa competitions over the past five years, with pot one being the highest-ranked and pot four being the lowest-ranked.

Each club has been drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, but they can only play a maximum of two teams from one country and they cannot play against a team from their domestic league.

The Gunners will face: Real Madrid (home), Bayern Munich (away), Borussia Dortmund (home), Real Betis (away), Lille (home), Napoli (away), Sabah (home), Slavia Prague (away).

The order of those fixtures will be announced by Uefa in due course.

League phase dates:

Matchday 1: 8-10 September 2026

Matchday 2: 13-14 October 2026

Matchday 3: 20-21 October 2026

Matchday 4: 3-4 November 2026

Matchday 5: 24-25 November 2026

Matchday 6: 8-9 December 2026

Matchday 7: 19-20 January 2027

Matchday 8: 27 January 2027

Knockout phase dates:

Knockout phase play-offs: 16-17 and 23-24 February 2027

Round of 16: 9-10 and 16-17 March 2027

Quarter-finals: 6-7 and 13-14 April 2027

Semi-finals: 27-28 April and 4-5 May 2027

Final: 5 June 2027, Madrid

See how the rest of the league phase draw panned out

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal forward Reiss Nelson has left the club by mutual consent.

The 26-year-old was into the last year of his contract but the Gunners have agreed for him to leave so he can become a free agent.

Nelson who spent last season on loan at Brentford has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham.

The winger made 90 first-team appearances after coming through the Arsenal academy. He scored eight goals and provided nine assists.

Nelson had four loan spells, spending time at Hoffenheim in the 2018-19, Feyenoord in 2021-22 and Fulham in 2024-25, before his move to Brentford last season.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Mikel Arteta's news conference before Arsenal's match with Aston Villa on Monday night was always going to be dominated by transfer talk as the transfer window is still open.

This one did not disappoint with a large part of the questioning centred around the future of Julian Alvarez.

The Atletico Madrid striker has been the subject of one of the longest-running sagas of the window, with Arsenal's interest in the forward well-documented.

Arteta was asked about a story from Spain where it was reported that a phone call from the Gunners boss to Alvarez was not returned.

He would not be drawn on the topic of Alavarez and told one journalist "don't go there", when he was asked about conversations with the striker.

However, Arteta did give a hint that that Gabriel Jesus could be moving closer to exiting the club.

The Brazilian striker was not in training with the rest of the first team squad and Arteta said that players were dealing with "personal situations".

And when pushed whether this was transfer-related, he said: "Personal situations, whatever they are, I think it's clear."

Arteta also spoke about Gabriel Martinelli's future, saying that if he was to potentially leave the club, with reports of interest from Al-Hilal, it will be because "everyone agrees".

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Julian Alvarez has not attended Atletico Madrid training since being told privately the club would not sell him to Barcelona and it appears the striker's only way out is with a move to Arsenal.

Sources told BBC Sport that Atletico communicated privately to Alvarez and his advisors earlier this week that they will not negotiate with Barca over a move for the Argentina international.

The 26-year-old has since missed two consecutive days of training, citing illness.

The La Liga club also released two public statements in the space of 24 hours reiterating their stance that Alvarez will not be granted his wish to move to the Nou Camp in the coming days.

Atletico, however, are open to selling Alvarez to the Gunners and have held direct talks with the Premier League champions over what would be one of the biggest transfers of the summer.

Director Mateu Alemany was in London last week, where he is understood to have met with Arsenal counterparts and made clear his side would seek a fee of 150m euros (£128m).

Mikel Arteta is desperate to sign Alvarez this month but the players' steadfast desire to join Barcelona halted Arsenal's pursuit.

However, it is understood discussions between Atletico and Arsenal over a club-to-club agreement for Alvarez have been positive.

Indeed, in the event of Alvarez giving the Gunners the green light to proceed with his signing in the coming days, a deal should move quickly.

Read more on Alvarez's situation at Atletico Madrid here

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Villa Park (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• New signing Ezri Konsa "has been training really well" and is available to face his former club on Monday.

• Arteta said they have been managing Bruno Guimaraes' workload over concerns of a groin issue, but he could "potentially" be in the travelling squad.

• Gabriel Jesus is not training with the group because of "the numbers we have in the squad at the moment". On whether that means he is leaving, Arteta added: "Personal situations, whatever they are, I think it's clear."

• Gabriel Martinelli was also spotted leaving training early on Thursday, with Arteta saying: "That's another personal situation that we are dealing with. Everyone knows and recognises we love Gabi. Whatever the outcome is, it will be because everybody agrees to that."

• He said besides quality, the players they sign must "really want to join us and have the desire to be part of our family".

• On Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, who Arsenal have been linked with: "I'm not going to make any comment about a player that's not with us."

• Arteta said there is "no news" to share on Ethan Nwaneri's future at the club.

• Jurrien Timber "is progressing really well" and they "have increased his load [training]" this week. If there are no setbacks then they "can step it up again" next week.

• William Saliba's return is "going to take a while", with the centre-back "in a much more conservative programme".

• On Aston Villa, who lost their opening game 4-0 at Brighton: "Emery's one of the most experienced managers in the league and one of the most successful. That's without a question of doubt. It's just one game. I'm sure he will turn it around."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Arsenal? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

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French football expert Julien Laurens believes Julian Alvarez "still isn't opening the door" to Arsenal, despite Atletico Madrid insisting there is "0% chance" of selling him to "dream" destination Barcelona this summer.

The 26-year-old has been the subject of intense transfer speculation this summer and, after being booed by Atletico Madrid fans on Sunday during their draw with Villarreal, he missed training on Wednesday because he was reportedly unwell.

But has the transfer fiasco opened the door for Arsenal?

"This situation isn't ideal, although Julian Alvarez's football qualities would fit this Arsenal team, and the way Mikel Arteta plays, so brilliantly," Laurens said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro Leagues podcast.

"They might be thinking: 'OK, he wants to go to Barcelona but if that doesn't happen then we are here. If he opens the door, we can make this happen.'

"It is a move that could win him more trophies. Let's not forget, he has already completed football by winning everything possible - from the Premier League, to the Champions League, to the World Cup, to the Copa America and the Copa Libertadores.

"But, if Atletico Madrid really want 150m euros for Alvarez, he isn't worth that. That isn't the right valuation.

"If he was really keen to go to Arsenal, this would have evolved already. Time is running out now.

"I think as soon as he felt Barcelona wasn't happening, he would have looked at what other interest he had, he would have seen Arsenal was still an option and he would have done that deal already.

"The fact he hasn't shows me he definitely isn't opening the door to Arsenal."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Marseille are confident of keeping Brazilian forward Igor Paixao, 26, despite interest from Arsenal and Sunderland. (Teamtalk, external)

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The league phase draw for the 2026-27 Champions League takes place at 17:00 BST in Monaco.

A total of 36 teams will take part in the league phase and each team will face eight different teams once, with four home matches and four away matches.

For the draw, the 36 teams will be placed into four pots, with one being the highest-ranked and four being the lowest. The pot placements are based on the clubs' Uefa club coefficient ranking from the five-season period ending at the conclusion of 2025-26.

Each team will face two teams from each of the four pots and cannot face a team from the same country as themselves.

The teams who finish in the top eight will qualify for the last 16. Those between ninth and 24th will enter the play-off knockout round. The 12 teams ranked between 25th and 36th will exit the competition when the league phase is concluded.

Premier League clubs Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal all feature in pot one alongside back-to-back Champions League winners Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Aston Villa and Manchester United both return to the Champions League this season after not featuring last term. They are in pot two with Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.

• Read more about the draw

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The draw for the Carabao Cup third round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

The matches will be played in the weeks commencing September 7 and September 14.

• Crystal Palace v Middlesbrough

• Manchester United v Brighton

• Manchester City v Norwich City

• Sunderland v Hull City

• Ipswich Town v Arsenal

• Coventry City v Aston Villa

• Bournemouth v Lincoln City

• Liverpool v Tottenham

• Chelsea or Luton Town v Leeds

• Millwall v Newcastle United

• Everton v Wolves

• Reading v Brentford

• West Ham v Fulham or AFC Wimbledon

Read more and see the full draw

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The third-round draw for the 2026-27 Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday, 26 August following the conclusion of Preston North End vs Everton.

Nine Premier League clubs taking part in European football join the 23 first-round winners from across the English Football League.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace will enter the competition at this stage, as the top eight Premier League clubs from the 2025-26 season plus Crystal Palace as Conference League winners.

It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports following the conclusion of the third round tie between Preston North End and Everton, kicking off at 20:00 BST.

Unlike the opening two rounds of the competition, the third round draw is not regionalised.

However, before the match at Deepdale there will be a pre-draw determining which of the Champions League and Europa League clubs will play at home or away in round three.

In order to avoid potential scheduling issues, the eight Champions League and Europa League clubs cannot be drawn against each other in round three.

When the draw takes place, the first eight fixtures decided are the ones involving clubs in the Champions League and Europa League. The remainder of the draw will be an open draw as usual.

Due to clashes with opening weeks of the Champions League and Europa League seasons, the third round will be played across two different weeks. They are the weeks commencing Monday, 7 and Monday, 14 September, 2026.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

The Premier League champions have already strengthened the middle of the pitch with Bruno Guimaraes, the wing with Christos Tzolis and their defence with Ezri Konsa.

But Arsenal are still in the market for a forward and have a long-standing interest in Julian Alvarez.

Although it appears to be a difficult deal due to many factors, the Gunners will be ready to act if there is a chance to get it done.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli, who is in talks with Saudi side Al-Hilal, will be allowed to leave if the Gunners receive a suitable offer - as will Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira if they can find respective buyers.

Teenager Ethan Nwaneri could also be sent out on loan.

Watson, Arsenal fan

If you want someone who is Premier League proven, who has won it all from the World Cup to the Champions League, Alvarez looks like the guy that can take Arsenal to the promised land of finally getting over the line in Europe - especially when there aren't that many elite forwards in the world.

What business do you think still needs to get done before 23:00 BST on 1 September?

Get in touch with your views here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

I was at St James' Park on Sunday and when I regained my composure after the beautiful and poignant celebrations of the great Kevin Keegan's life, I quickly understood the devil-may-care approach that Matthias Jaissle's Newcastle United side brought to the party.

Liverpool were champions two years ago. They have spent many hundreds of millions of pounds since, on a squad which still looks threadbare, but on Sunday they were matched by a very young midfield duo delivered at a fraction of the cost.

Florian Wirtz (£116m) and Alexander Isak (£125m) were stifled by 20-year-old Lewis Miley, who cost nothing, and 18-year-old Sean Steur, who was signed for a measly initial £20m from Ajax. Putting that sort of youth up against world superstars would have been considered foolhardy until very recently, but the new coaches aren't bringing any fear with them into their new roles.

It is not just the newbies either, Everton's engine room under Davie Moyes had Premier League debutant Hayden Hackney (£24m from Middlesbrough) beside 19-year-old Harrison Armstrong, a Toffees academy graduate. They were still trusted to control the midfield and duly dispatched Crystal Palace.

This was always going to be a season of upheaval with all the managerial changes but it might be even more substantial than that. It could be the dawn of a complete shift in outlook.

Arsenal with their quality and experience might still see off the wannabe challengers in the end. Then again, weren't they riding the crest of this wave of organised chaos, utilising set-piece bedlam, as they won the title last season?

The big take: The league is always exciting but hasn't always given us enough tales of the unexpected, this season promises to be different. The newcomers appear to have a lack of fear and a love of chaos.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Manchester United are confident of persuading Arsenal to sell Myles Lewis-Skelly, although the asking price of more than £50m remains a sticking point. (Sun), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal are realistic about their chances of signing Julian Alvarez before next week's transfer deadline.

Do they want him? Yes. Are they trying? Yes. Can they pull it off? The answer to that question is less unequivocal.

Manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta know it is a long shot, not least because former Manchester City forward Alvarez, at least so far, has shown little indication he would be willing to join the club.

His current reluctance to give the green light on a move to London isn't necessarily linked to any apprehension towards Arsenal - but rather that doing so would see him forgoing his dream of joining Barcelona.

Alvarez has also been made aware of certain visa regulations that would create difficulty for his family visiting him in the UK.

Moving to Catalonia is what he truly wants.

What's more, the Camp Nou club are absolutely willing to make that happen.

But Atletico Madrid are absolutely adamant they will not sell Alvarez to Barcelona.

In May, they made a series of social media posts brutally mocking the pursuit by the Spanish champions of their player to millions of followers.

"Don't believe everything you see, especially if it's related to Barca," Atletico posted. "In recent months, we've been suffering a smear campaign against one of our players."

For the Madrid side, the matter is closed and that leaves Alvarez's dream in serious jeopardy.

Therein lies a sliver of hope for Arsenal because, as things stand, the only way out is a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Indeed, according to well-placed sources there has been a slight softening of Alvarez's stance in recent days, although not enough yet to get anyone at Arsenal excited.

But should he change his mind in the final days of the window, then the Gunners are poised.

Read more here

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal have held talks with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal over the sale of winger Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazil international is free to leave the club this summer, with manager Mikel Arteta making it clear to the attacker that he is not in his plans.

Turkish club Galatasaray showed interest in Martinelli earlier this summer, but the Brazilian would not consider a move to Istanbul, despite Arsenal receiving a 45m euro (£38.54m) bid.

As reported by BBC Sport's senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel, Al-Hilal have communicated that they are willing to bid higher than Galatasaray's offer.

Martinelli made 53 appearances last season, scoring 11 goals, but he was left out of the squad for the champions Premier League opener against Coventry City on Friday.

"The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable," former Arsenal striker Ian Wright told Sky Sports.

"I know they might want him out, and a lot of people might say: 'Yeah, it's time for him to move him on.' But there are ways of doing that and it should suit how he wants to leave as well.

"With him not being involved in the squad and not being spoken to, he doesn't know what is happening.

"He has done enough with this squad to be treated with a little bit more respect than he is being treated with at the moment."

Arsenal deny that he is being frozen out and say the Brazilian's absence is a result of their strength in depth, with new signing Christos Tzolis impressing in Martinelli's preferred position on the left wing against Coventry.

BBC Sport understands that Arteta has made his position clear to Martinelli and explained his reasons for leaving him out of the squad.

Read the full article here

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal have been trying to bring in an elite forward during the window to bolster their attack but summer signing Christos Tzolis has already shown that he could play a significant attacking role this season.

Tzolis arrived for £34m after producing the best season of his career at Club Brugge, where he scored 17 times and provided 23 assists as they were crowned champions in Belgium.

In his short time so far at Arsenal, Tzolis has excited supporters with his performances during pre-season and registered two assists in the Community Shield win over Manchester City. Against Coventry, it was his cross that was turned into Bukayo Saka's path for Arsenal's second goal.

On his Premier League debut, Tzolis impressed Martin Odegaard. "Amazing - he played a brilliant game," the captain told BBC Sport.

"He has been brilliant all pre-season. He's so lively. It's hard to defend [against] him. He's a really intelligent player. He always looks up and finds the right pass."

And Mikel Arteta was also full of praise for the Greece international.

"Well, I love that a player that has been with us just for a few weeks gets this kind of energy every time he's on the ball," the manager said. "I think he's earned it.

"The way he has performed in the last few games has been phenomenal. What he transmits as a player is so direct, so incisive, constantly.

"He wants to make things happen and he has an incredible variety of actions in the last 30 metres.

"It's up to him to make the right decisions. Even the spaces are sometimes really, really small. I'm very happy with him."