The Arsenal Sentinel
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Door shut on Gianluigi Donnarumma
Arsenal asked and Manchester City said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market17 Aug 2026
Crystal Palace come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Arsenal did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Arsenal
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Market17 Aug 2026
Harry Williams steps up from the Arsenal academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Harry Williams has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market17 Aug 2026
One of our own: John Jones joins the Arsenal first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. John Jones is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market17 Aug 2026
Jason Thompson steps up from the Arsenal academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Jason Thompson has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Looking ahead17 Aug 2026
A reunion for Declan Rice
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against West Ham United in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Competition arrives for Gabriel Martinelli
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. Arsenal have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
Benjamin Hughes knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Arsenal, and both men came out saying it was fine.
In brief
- The dugout The manager plants his flag on Declan Rice
- Squad Vinícius Júnior is settling
- Looking ahead Looking ahead: West Ham United at home