Maresca's first game was a mess
Arsenal 3–0 Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday. Maresca's first match as manager, and the defending was poor from the start (1). Rodri started, but there was no shape behind him. Fans will not forget this one quickly.
Rodri to Barcelona, €75m
Rodri is on his way to Barcelona for a reported €75m (2) (3) (4). Multiple outlets are calling it done. That is a big hole in midfield, and no replacement has been signed yet.
City broke their record for Elliot Anderson
The club signed Elliot Anderson in a record deal as part of the rebuild (3). He arrives as the midfield gets thinner, not thicker.
Mac Allister link, agent says no
City are linked with Alexis Mac Allister but his camp played it down (6). With Rodri leaving, expect more noise around midfielders before the window closes.
Fan-reaktioner
The mood is split between transfer anxiety and excitement about targets. Fans are tracking Enzo Fernandez, with reports of a £120m+ price tag from Chelsea drawing groans, and some are buzzing about advanced talks for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. New Anfield fixture dates are also circulating on the Liverpool subreddit, with a thread here.
