Ex-Gunner in advanced talks for vacant managerial position

Oxford are looking for a new head coach after sacking Matt Bloomfield, while Aaron Ramsey is also believed to have interest from Wales if Craig Bellamy moves on.

Aaron Ramsey is in advanced talks to become the new head coach of Oxford United, with the former Arsenal midfielder ready to take the first significant step in his managerial career.

Oxford are looking for a new head coach after sacking Matt Bloomfield at the weekend. Bloomfield was appointed in January 2026 and oversaw a second half of a season that ended in relegation to League One, leaving the club to reset quickly before the new campaign.

Ramsey’s name has also been discussed in relation to the Wales job should Craig Bellamy leave to take over at Burnley, but the 35-year-old is believed to prefer beginning his managerial career in club football rather than stepping straight into a national-team role.

That would fit with what Ramsey said only a few months ago, when he confirmed that coaching was now his intended path after announcing his retirement from playing in April. His brief spell as interim head coach at Cardiff City only focussed that ambition, rather than making him hesitate after three games without a win.

“That [managing Arsenal or Wales] would be the dream,” Ramsey admitted (via The S*n). “I know there is a long way to go before then. It’s time to go into coaching now. 100 per cent.

“I managed Cardiff for a few games but that just made me realise it’s definitely the next step for me. That will be on the cards next.

“I’m really excited. I’ve had some coaching exposure around the Wales set-up, working with some unbelievable staff there and I’ve done some work with Cardiff’s u18s so I’ve been keeping myself busy.”

Oxford may now offer the route into that future.

Ramsey played 369 times for Arsenal, but the wider arc of his career was altered on 27 February 2010, when Ryan Shawcross went through the teenager at the Britannia and caused a double fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg.

The injury was horrific, players were visibly distressed, and Ramsey required immediate surgery before beginning a recovery that was both physically and psychologically gruelling. He was out for almost a year.

Ramsey made it back, and returned to the elite level, but his career was irreparably damaged. Successive loan spells were needed to rebuild him, and although he became a hugely important player for Arsenal, the injury pattern of his career had already started to form.

Now Ramsey is preparing for the next part of his football life.

Oxford, newly relegated and in need of direction, may offer that platform. For Arsenal supporters, it would be the start of a coaching journey that Ramsey has already admitted he hopes might one day bring him back to the Emirates.

• Analysing Arsenal women player minutes so far

  The minutes show how Renee Slegers has used her squad so far, and raises questions about several summer signings and senior players.

  

  Now that the first block of games is finished, we can look at the players’ minutes and performances across the first seven matches, which yielded two wins, three draws and two defeats.

  Arsenal have already used 22 players this season. The following players have no minutes but have been selected on the bench: Isabella Damm, the young goalkeeper who was named among the substitutes twice, and Elisa De Almeida, who was on the bench once before her quadriceps injury.

  The following players have been fully unavailable so far: Daphne van Domselaar, Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang. Hopefully, van Domselaar and Reid are close to returning to the squad to offer more options to Renee Slegers, although having too many options may not necessarily help her.

  Here are the players and their total number of minutes played so far.

  

  Geraldine Reuteler, 9 minutes. Came on once as a substitute and was on the bench four times. She is clearly the last option in the three midfield positions, behind everybody else. Questions have to be asked about why she was recruited to sit at the end of the bench.

  Selina Cerci, 55 minutes. Came on four times as a substitute and was an unused substitute once. She is the last-ditch attacking option behind all the other forwards. Maybe the coaching staff could trust her more?

  

  Taylor Hinds, 90 minutes. One start, two games as an unused substitute and four games in which she did not make the 20-player squad. Another bizarre case. She was sacrificed multiple times and did not make the squad when she could have been a valuable option from the bench. Considering her competitor at left-back is not firing on all cylinders, it is strange.

  Frida Maanum, 102 minutes. One start, three appearances as a substitute, one game as an unused substitute and twice left out of the squad. One of the senior players, alongside Hinds, who has been downgraded to make way for the new signings. I think she could bring more to the team because she has a different profile.

  Smilla Holmberg, 155 minutes. One start, four appearances as a substitute and two games as an unused substitute. She has performed superbly when called upon. I am genuinely surprised she has not been given more starts or minutes considering how much she brings in attack.

  Caitlin Foord, 195 minutes. The number one attacking option from the bench, with one start and six appearances as a substitute. She brings experience and mentality to the team.

  Chloe Kelly, 206 minutes. Two starts and three appearances as a substitute before being injured. She brings a different style on the wing compared with the two wingers who run at defenders and use their speed.

  

  Olivia Smith, 214 minutes. Two starts, four appearances as a substitute and one game as an unused substitute. Fitness seems to have been a problem recently, as she should be a regular in the starting XI rather than being used from the bench.

  Stina Blackstenius, 217 minutes. Two starts and five appearances as a substitute. One of Slegers’ first options from the bench.

  Anneke Borbe, 270 minutes. Three starts. She alternates in goal with Misa Rodriguez depending on the opposition’s profile.

  Lotte Wubben-Moy, 270 minutes. Three starts. Basically the first alternative at centre-back to Leah Williamson and Steph Catley.

  Misa Rodriguez, 360 minutes. Four starts. She alternates in goal with Anneke Borbe depending on the opposition’s profile.

  Steph Catley, 360 minutes. Four starts. She is the number one choice at left centre-back.

  Kyra Cooney-Cross, 420 minutes. Five starts. She has become a starter and her game has now matured, with fewer of the errors we used to see in previous seasons.

  Kim Little, 424 minutes. Five starts and two appearances as a substitute. The club captain is a starter and a key player for the team.

  

  Mariona Caldentey, 432 minutes. Six starts and one appearance as a substitute. A starter and key player for the team, she has not been in great form by her high standards. It does not help that she has had to play in multiple positions, although that is not normally a problem for her. Now injured.

  Lisa Baum, 458 minutes. Six starts and one appearance as a substitute. The young winger has been fantastic since she signed. The only question mark is her fitness, as she has not completed 90 minutes in any of the seven games so far.

  Georgia Stanway, 467 minutes. Six starts. She has come in and settled very quickly and is already a key player.

  Emily Fox, 509 minutes. Six starts. A starter and a key player. I am surprised she does not get more competition for her place from Holmberg and Ona Batlle.

  

  Ona Batlle, 512 minutes. Six starts. A starter at left-back, she was brought in to replace Katie McCabe, but what she is offering on the left side might not be as good as what she can offer on the right.

  Alessia Russo, 582 minutes. Six starts and one appearance as a substitute. As always, a reliable and key player who brings a lot to the table. Her performances have not been as good as in previous seasons, but she is starting to get back to her usual level.

  Leah Williamson, 630 minutes. She has played every minute so far. Giving away a penalty against Paris FC has been one of the highlights of her performances to this point. She is obviously the number one centre-back at the club because she brings so much to the team.

  Overall, the picture painted here is one of trust in tried and tested players over the new arrivals.

  Results have not been good enough. 10th place in the league is unacceptable and improvement will have to come quickly in the second block of games.

  We will see whether the pecking order changes in the upcoming fixtures.

  

• Arsenal suffer more injuries during international break than any other Premier League side

  16 Arsenal players featured internationally, but the break once again proved unusually costly compared with the rest of the division.

  

  According to The Times, Arsenal suffered more injuries on international duty than any other Premier League club during the extended break, with six players picking up or carrying problems while away from north London.

  16 Arsenal players featured for their countries, with Ezri Konsa, Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis, Martin Odegaard, Piero Hincapie and Max Dowman all affected by injury issues during the window.

  That total was higher than any other Premier League side.

  Liverpool were next with four injuries from 17 players who featured internationally, while Manchester City, Manchester United and Sunderland each suffered three.

  Havertz picked up a muscle injury during Germany’s first game of the break, while Tzolis suffered a hamstring problem with Greece.

  Konsa withdrew from the England camp as a precaution after their third match, while Dowman sustained what has since been described as a minor contact injury with England Under-19s.

  

  Odegaard suffered an ankle knock during Norway’s second game but subsequently returned, while Hincapie missed Ecuador’s entire international programme because of a muscle injury.

  Arsenal also had two other players, in Declan Rice and Marli Salmon, withdraw before the first international match was played.

  Liverpool’s four problems involved Jeremy Jacquet, who suffered a hamstring injury with France, Cody Gakpo, who sustained an ankle problem with the Netherlands, Milos Kerkez, who left the Hungary camp early with an undisclosed issue, and Alexander Isak, who picked up a minor injury with Sweden.

  City also had 17 players involved internationally. Rayan Ait-Nouri was on Algeria’s bench for their opening match before withdrawing to recover, Nico O’Reilly suffered a muscle injury with England and Erling Haaland came off with fatigue for Norway.

  

  United’s three problems involved Patrick Dorgu, who suffered a suspected hamstring issue with Denmark, Bruno Fernandes, who had a niggle with Portugal before returning for the final two matches, and Noussair Mazraoui, who sustained an impact injury with Morocco.

  Sunderland, despite having only 11 players involved internationally, also lost three to hamstring injuries. Habib Diarra was injured with Senegal, Brian Brobbey with the Netherlands and Dan Ballard with Northern Ireland.

  Bournemouth, Brentford and Chelsea each had two reported problems, while Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Hull City, Leeds United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur each recorded one.

  Fulham, Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest had no reported injuries among their international players.

  With Premier League football now resuming, the task is to assess how many of those issues will have consequences beyond the international window.

  Club	Injuries picked up	Players and reported issues	Players who played internationals
  Arsenal	6	Ezri Konsa (precautionary withdrawal); Kai Havertz (muscle injury); Christos Tzolis (hamstring issue); Martin Odegaard (ankle knock); Piero Hincapié (muscle injury); Max Dowman (minor contact injury)	16
  Liverpool	4	Jérémy Jacquet (hamstring injury); Cody Gakpo (ankle injury); Milos Kerkez (undisclosed issue); Alexander Isak (minor injury)	17
  Manchester City	3	Rayan Aït-Nouri (unspecified issue); Nico O’Reilly (muscle injury); Erling Haaland (fatigue)	17
  Manchester United	3	Patrick Dorgu (suspected hamstring issue); Bruno Fernandes (niggle); Noussair Mazraoui (impact injury)	16
  Sunderland	3	Habib Diarra (hamstring injury); Brian Brobbey (hamstring injury); Dan Ballard (hamstring injury)	11
  Bournemouth	2	Alex Scott (quad injury); David Brooks (undisclosed injury)	10
  Brentford	2	Dango Ouattara (illness); Mikkel Damsgaard (ankle injury)	11
  Chelsea	2	Mike Penders (muscle injury); Jamie Gittens (ankle injury)	11
  Aston Villa	1	Zion Suzuki (rib injury)	9
  Brighton & Hove Albion	1	Yasin Ayari (illness)	10
  Coventry City	1	Joel Latibeaudiere (undisclosed injury)	7
  Crystal Palace	1	Anan Khalaili (thigh injury)	10
  Everton	1	Vitalii Mykolenko (knock)	10
  Hull City	1	Elliot Stroud (illness)	11
  Leeds United	1	Jean-Mattéo Bahoya (undisclosed issue)	12
  Newcastle United	1	Lewis Miley (unspecified issue, understood not to be serious)	8
  Tottenham Hotspur	1	Jan Paul van Hecke (knock)	12
  Fulham	0	None reported	12
  Ipswich Town	0	None reported	9
  Nottingham Forest	0	None reported	10

  

• New Arsenal signing withdraws from international duty with ‘knee problems’

  Selina Cerci has withdrawn from the Germany squad with a knee problem, providing a possible explanation for her limited involvement since joining Arsenal, and adding to the Gunners’ ever-growing injury list.

  

  Selina Cerci has withdrawn from the Germany squad with “knee problems”, raising the possibility that the injury is behind her limited involvement since joining Arsenal in the summer.

  Arsenal signed Cerci from Hoffenheim on a free transfer after the long-time Arsenal supporter scored 34 goals in 47 appearances for the German club.

  Her arrival appeared to give Arsenal another proven goalscoring option, but Cerci has barely featured during the opening weeks of the season despite the team struggling for goals.

  The forward has played only 55 minutes for Arsenal, all from the bench across four substitute appearances, while remaining an unused substitute on one further occasion.

  Only 37 of those minutes have come in the Women’s Super League, with the remaining 18 in the Champions League. Despite her limited involvement, she has already proven key by winning an injury-time penalty for the Gunners against Paris FC in the Champions League.

  

  Her lack of involvement had prompted questions among supporters, particularly given Cerci’s goalscoring record before arriving in north London.

  She was nevertheless selected for Germany despite her limited minutes at club level, only to withdraw from the squad because of “knee problems”.

  There has been no indication of how serious the problem is or how long it has been affecting her, so it cannot be said with certainty that it explains her limited Arsenal involvement.

  It does, however, offer a possible explanation for why a summer signing with a strong scoring record has so far been used so sparingly.

  Cerci’s problem also adds to an ever-growing injury list.

  

  Earlier this week, Smilla Holmberg had to sit out training with Sweden after picking up a foot problem,

  Mariona Caldentey is out with a hamstring injury that Renee Slegers said “doesn’t look good”, as is Chloe Kelly.

  Michelle Agyemang and Katie Reid are continuing their recovery from ACL injuries, although the former is hopeful of returning ‘soon’, while Daphne van Domselaar is struggling with her own knee issues and new signing, Elisa de Almeida has a quadriceps problem.

  You can keep up-to-date with all Arsenal’s injuries on our dedicated Arsenal injury updates page.

  

• New Arsenal deal makes Arteta best paid Premier League manager

  Arsenal have confirmed Arteta’s deal that is believed to run until 2030, while reports say the financial package makes him the division’s best-paid manager.

  

  Mikel Arteta’s new Arsenal contract reportedly makes him the highest-paid manager in the Premier League, with his four-year deal believed to be worth more than £20 million a season, up from £12m.

  Arsenal confirmed on October 7 that Arteta’s had signed a new agreement that is believed to run until June 2030, extending a tenure that began in December 2019.

  The club, as usual, did not disclose the financial terms.

  The Irish Times reports that the deal is worth more than £20 million per season, while CBS Sports also reports that Arteta is now understood to earn more than any other manager currently working in the Premier League.

  Arsenal have also reportedly extended the contracts of Arteta’s coaching staff to match the duration of his agreement.

  If Arteta sees out the new term, he will have spent more than a decade in charge of the club.

  The agreement follows Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years, achieved after three successive runners-up finishes. Arteta also guided the club to last season’s Champions League final, where they lost to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.

  

  Chief executive Richard Garlick made clear that Arsenal view the title as the start of a new phase rather than the end of the project. “We want to create a winning era together with Mikel,” he said.

  Speaking at Leaders Week London, Garlick also pointed to the continuity Arsenal now have compared with their rivals.

  “I look at the other teams in the Premier League and Mikel is now the only current manager that has won the Premier League,” he said.

  Arteta struck a similarly ambitious note when discussing his new contract. “We have already built a special bond and created memories that will last a lifetime, and what is so exciting is that this is only the beginning of what we can achieve together,” he said.

  

• Arsenal youngster receives MBE from Prince William

  The Arsenal forward was honoured for services to association football after helping England win a second successive European Championship.

  

  Michelle Agyemang described the moment as “incredible” after receiving her MBE from Prince William at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

  The Arsenal youngster was awarded the honour for services to association football in the King’s Birthday Honours List in June 2026, recognition that followed her contribution to England’s second successive European Championship victory in July 2025.

  Agyemang was not the only Arsenal player recognised, with team-mates Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly also receiving MBEs in the same honours list.

  

  The award adds to an extraordinary period in Agyemang’s young career, despite being sidelined with injury.

  Her performances at Euro 2025 earned her the Young Player of the Tournament award, before she was subsequently named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.

  Her journey with Arsenal began when she joined the club at six years old in 2012. Agyemang progressed through the academy and made her senior debut aged 16 against Leicester City in November 2022.

  Her first senior Arsenal goal arrived against Leeds United in the FA Cup on January 29, 2023, before she signed her first professional contract with the club in May 2024.

  Agyemang had already demonstrated her goalscoring ability at academy level, scoring 19 times in 11 appearances as Arsenal’s Under-21s won the Academy League title.

  

  Her development continued with a loan spell at Watford during the 2023/24 season, where she scored six goals in the Women’s Championship.

  She then joined Brighton on loan for 2024/25 and moved into regular Women’s Super League football, scoring five goals in 22 appearances across all competitions and winning the club’s Young Player of the Year award.

  Agyemang’s progress was interrupted in October 2025 when she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament during England’s win over Australia in Derby.

  

  Arsenal confirmed that the injury would keep her out for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, before reporting in January 2026 that she had returned from Brighton to continue her rehabilitation with her parent club.

  Agyemang is hopeful that she will be back playing soon, telling the media that she is “get­ting very close to return­ing now.”