Arsenal beat Coventry City 3–0 on Friday night (12). Clean sheet, three goals, top of the table after one game. That is how a champion starts a season, and the interesting part is that it almost felt like the quiet part of the week.
Martinelli is the story, not the win
The transfer window has swallowed the headlines, and Gabriel Martinelli is the name attached to it. Al Hilal are pursuing a deal, Arsenal want in the region of £60m, and the 25-year-old is open to the move after turning down Turkey earlier in the window (5)(7). That is a club-record sale for a player Arsenal signed for £6m, a £54m profit if the number holds (1).
Read the subtext and it gets more pointed. Reports say Arteta was direct with Martinelli about his squad status, which is why the player changed his stance on leaving a big league (4). This is not a player forcing his way out. It is a club that has decided the money is worth more than the depth.
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Some fans will hate that. Martinelli is a fan favourite, a 62-goal forward for the club (1). But seven years in, he has plateaued, and £60m funds the exact profile this squad still lacks: a No.9.
The striker hunt is open and honest
Julian Alvarez remains Arteta's top target, and this week the stance shifted. He is in Simeone's squad and the Atletico manager says he will look after him for as long as he is at the club, but Arsenal have asked to be kept informed if that changes in the final week (13)(21). Simeone's quote is the tell: "As long as he's with the team." That is not a door slammed shut.
Osimhen talks with Galatasaray are reportedly still alive (20). Yildiz, for all the links, is not happening. Spalletti made it plain this week that Juventus are unmoved even by a €100m offer (15)(19). Cross that one off.
The Alvarez swap talk is the interesting angle because it would send a first-team star the other way (10). Arsenal are doing serious business with eight days left in the window.
The women's team won it late
Olivia Smith scored a last-gasp winner as Arsenal Women beat Paris FC 1–0 in pre-season on Sunday (2). Slegers said afterwards the window is still open and the club is still active (2). The team ran out with Fox at left-back and Mariona in the 10, which tells you the shape Slegers wants (16).
What to watch
Aston Villa away on Monday, August 31, then Chelsea at home September 6. By the time that home game kicks off, the window is shut and this squad will have its striker, one way or another. The Martinelli money changes what is possible. That is the test of the next ten days.
