The Bottom Line

Men: Arteta said the plan to cut up to 60 jobs was explained to him as putting people in the right roles, and that he was not the right person to answer for it. Zubimendi will be assessed on Saturday for the trip to Nottingham Forest and Hincapie needs another week or two. Timber reaches 100 Arsenal appearances if he plays.

Women: Smilla Holmberg is one of 10 nominees for the 2026 Golden Girl award. Guardian analysis of Opta data puts Arsenal's title chances close to gone after two points from four games, despite creating more than their opponents in both home draws.

Academy: The Under-18s host Tottenham on Saturday morning on the back of four straight wins, including a 5-1 win at Norwich.

Men

Arteta says the job cuts were explained to him as putting people in the right roles

Arteta said he was told the plan to cut up to 60 roles was about putting people in the right roles and investing to achieve success, and that he was not the right person to answer for it. The club allowed no further questions on the subject.

Also covered by BBC Sport and The Independent.

Injury update: Zubimendi assessed on Saturday, Tzolis and Saliba scans both positive

Arteta will decide on Zubimendi after Saturday's session and expects Hincapie to need another week or two. Tzolis had an MRI on Thursday that showed his muscle injury progressing well, and Saliba has another scan next week.

Also covered by The Athletic.

Arsenal will retake the squad photo to include Saliba

Arteta said the 2026/27 squad photo had been called off three times already and commercial commitments meant it went ahead without Saliba, who the club says had a medical appointment. A new one including him will be taken and announced.

Also covered by The Independent and Evening Standard.

Timber reaches 100 Arsenal appearances if he plays at Forest

Timber will make his 100th appearance if he features at the City Ground on Sunday, more than three years after joining from Ajax and having sat out upwards of 80 games through injury. Arteta called him an unbelievable player when physically at his best.

Also covered by Arsenal.com.

Gyokeres has now gone 13 Arsenal games without a goal

Gyokeres drew a blank against Lille to stretch his goalless run in Arsenal colours to 13 matches, having scored in four consecutive Nations League games for Sweden. Arteta said he was in front of an empty goal three or four times and the ball did not reach him.

Also covered by Arsenal.com.

Merino says changing seats on the Dortmund team bus may have saved his life

Merino told The Players' Tribune that shrapnel from the 2017 attack on Borussia Dortmund's coach lodged in the headrest of the seat he normally used, which he had left that night because his legs felt tight. He said he is fortunate to be alive.

Also covered by Evening Standard.

Merino points to a players-only meeting as the day Arsenal won the title

Merino said the squad met in the dressing room without Arteta the day after throwing away a two goal lead last season, with everyone speaking and nobody discussing tactics. In his view that was the day the title was won.

Gibbs-White has not trained all week and is a doubt for Forest against Arsenal

Glasner said Gibbs-White, who picked up a calf injury in last weekend's defeat at Crystal Palace, is expected to train with the Forest squad on Saturday and will be assessed before Sunday's game.

Also covered by Evening Standard.

Musiala a doubt for Bayern's visit as Neuer is expected back in goal

Musiala has not played since tearing a muscle fibre in his right thigh on Germany duty and missed training on Friday, leaving him a doubt for the Champions League tie on 21 October. Neuer, out with a foot problem, is expected to return against Arsenal.

Arteta says Lewis-Skelly's move into midfield came from Hincapie's injury

Arteta said he had doubts about moving Lewis-Skelly out of the position he was excelling in, but Hincapie's injury and the fixture list forced it. He said being able to play as a six, an eight or a full back is a massive asset.

Arsenal reported to be interested in Bayern's Kim Min-jae in January

Bild's Christian Falk reports that Arsenal are interested in signing the South Korea defender in January as cover following Hincapie's injury, and that Bayern may instead offer the 29 year old a contract extension. Neither club has commented.

Women

Smilla Holmberg nominated for the 2026 Golden Girl award

Holmberg is one of 10 nominees for the award for Europe's best under 21 player, after three goals in 29 Arsenal appearances since arriving from Hammarby in January. Michelle Agyemang won it last year.

Opta data has Arsenal creating enough and not scoring, with title chances close to gone

Arsenal have taken two points from their last four WSL games despite expected goals margins of 2.2 in the 0-0 with Crystal Palace and 1.2 in the 1-1 with Manchester United. The Guardian's analysis of Opta's model puts their title hopes as good as over.

Stanway says she has no plan to change the Little and Mariona partnership

Stanway told Arseblog News she was asked to play with freedom within the Arsenal way rather than rework a midfield that was working, and that she, Kim Little, Mariona Caldentey and Kyra Cooney-Cross can all rotate through central positions.

Academy

Under-18s host unbeaten Tottenham in the first north London derby of the season

The Under-18s kick off at 10.30am on Saturday at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on the back of four straight wins, including a 5-1 win at Norwich in which Jaden Maghoma scored twice. Spurs are top of the division and unbeaten with 33 goals.

Social

• u/bigtimetopbanana on Reddit: A thread on the video from inside Robert Pires' testimonial, with the old squad back together.
• u/Tugboat47 on Reddit: Alessia Russo's interview about staying, in her words, just Alessia from Maidstone.
• u/Good-Ebening on Reddit: Calafiori on the night the squad watched Manchester City from the training ground and the title was confirmed.
• Philarsopher on Bluesky: Counts nine goals in Saka's last 13 games for club and country, only 11 of them starts, and argues the numbers show better efficiency rather than better form.
• Nick Wright on Bluesky: A chart of expected goal difference per game six games in, with Arsenal clear at the top and above the 0.97 average they won the title with.
• now.arsenal on Bluesky: Recalls Arteta putting two footballs at the front of the 2024 team photo and telling the squad the aim was to replace them with trophies.

Podcasts

• Inside Arsenal - with Charles Watts, Mikel Arteta press conference reaction - Zubimendi, Hincapie, Tzolis & Saliba updates (13 min). Reaction to Friday's press conference, going through the four fitness updates ahead of the Forest trip.
• The Thing About Arsenal, Preview Show: xEntertainment (47 min). Luke, Jim and Jonny preview Sunday at the City Ground and discuss Merino's Players' Tribune piece.
• Arsenal Women: Trailblazers, Arsenal Women v Birmingham: Injuries, Reuteler's Chance & My Predicted XI (19 min). A preview of Saturday's WSL return at the Emirates, covering the injury list and a predicted lineup.
• The Non-Negotiables: Arsenal Podcast, E274: "Nottingham Forest (A)" - Arsenal's Attacking Questions, Midfield Selection & the Bayern Dilemma (Match Preview) (53 min). A match preview built around the run of goalless visits to the City Ground and how to balance the squad before Bayern.
• The Real Arsenal Deal, Who Starts vs Forest? Arsenal Predicted XI, Injury Doubts & 60 Staff Cuts (29 min). A predicted XI for Sunday, the injury doubts behind it, and a discussion of the 60 job cuts.

On This Day

2020. Arsenal lost 1-0 to Manchester City at an empty Etihad, Raheem Sterling scoring on 23 minutes. The attendance was recorded as zero, one of the strangest lines in the club's results. Via Wikipedia

2003. Charlie Patino was born. He joined Hale End at 11, scored on his senior debut against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup, and left for Spain in 2024 after nine years at the club.

2000. Robert Pires equalised in the 88th minute at the Stadio Olimpico for a 1-1 draw with Lazio, cancelling out Pavel Nedved's opener in front of just over 40,000. Via Wikipedia

1992. Alan Smith's 37th minute goal won it 1-0 at the City Ground, the ground Arsenal visit again on Sunday, in front of 24,862. Via Wikipedia