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.

• Leaked: Arsenal away kit photos & release date

  Official pictures and a release date for Arsenal’s 2026/27 away kit have leaked online, with the shirt set to be made available to supporters this month.

  

  Footy Headlines report that Arsenal’s 2026/27 away kit is set to be released on July 23rd, with the new shirt going on sale in advance of the Gunners’ pre-season schedule.

  Official pictures of the replica kit have also leaked online, both the short-sleeved version shown above and the long-sleeved version shown below.

  

  As per the photos, the kit is a dark blue with yellow highlights, and red on the sleeves and the collar.

  The shirt uses Adidas’ Trefoil logo, rather than the three stripes, and the cannon logo rather than the Arsenal badge. The base pattern design carries on around the back and over the sleeves.

  

  The home kit has already been released, and the third kit is expected to be a paler yellow colour with navy blue accents and a thin line of red on the collar and sleeves once again.

  The third-kit shirt design uses a lightning pattern, with navy shorts and socks completing the look. Few photos of the shirt have leaked so far, but the image shown below is believed to be an official promotional photo.

  

• Mikel Arteta’s son trains with Arsenal u21s

  Mikel Arteta’s son spent time training with the Arsenal u21s this week, after signing scholarship terms with the club.

  

  Gabriel Arteta Bernal was pictured in training with the Arsenal u21s this week, with the u21 team returning to pre-season training after their summer break.

  The Premier League confirmed in June that Mikel Arteta’s son Gabriel had signed scholarship terms with the Gunners, including him on their ‘retained list’ for players under contract with Arsenal beyond June 30th.

  The 17-year-old is technically old enough for a professional contract, but for now he’s just on a scholarship deal in north London.

  

  Arteta Jr. made a couple of appearances for the Arsenal u17s last season, playing in a 1-1 friendly draw with Shrewsbury Town and a 3-3 Premier League Cup draw with Watford last October.

  The teenage winger then stepped up to the u18s in April and May, making four u18 Premier League appearances for the side.

  The youngster has also linked up with Arsenal pre-season training camps in the past, though his involvement in pre-season training in 2023 was actually helping out the coaching staff, rather than joining in with the drills as a player.

  

  Arsenal generally use rotated teams in the Premier League Cup and friendly matches, so it’s not a surprise that Gabriel got his first opportunities to play for the Gunners in those circumstances.

  But stepping up to the u18s in competitive matches, signing a scholarship deal, and training with the u21s is more concrete progress, and it suggests the 17-year-old could be set for further opportunities with the u18s this season.

  

• Ethan Nwaneri’s brother to sign new Arsenal contract

  Ethan Nwaneri’s younger brother Emerson is set to commit his future to the club, despite previous reports of concern that he wouldn’t sign a new deal.

  

  Next Generation Arsenal reports that Emerson Nwaneri will stay with Arsenal, following lengthy negotiations over a new contract. According to the claims, there was reported interest from Chelsea and Manchester City, but Emerson is happy with the Gunners and chose to stay.

  Assuming the report is correct, the younger Nwaneri brother will now sign a scholarship deal with Arsenal.

  

  Gary Jacob had reported for The Times in June that Arsenal were fighting to keep hold of Emerson Nwaneri this summer, with concern that the player wouldn’t sign a scholarship deal.

  Such an exit would have been a disappointing outcome for Arsenal, who had promoted Emerson to the u18s this season, and had even given him his debuts in the UEFA Youth League and the Premier League 2.

  

  The 15-year-old obviously hasn’t been fast-tracked as much as his brother, with Ethan already having made his Premier League debut by this point. But Emerson has still made appearances way above his age group.

  The teenager’s progress with Arsenal has also been recognised internationally, with England giving the youngster a number of appearances in their u16 team this season.

  It now looks as though he’s set for further chances with Arsenal in 2026/27.

  

• Why Declan Rice was substituted against Norway

  Thomas Tuchel has explained why Declan Rice was substituted during England’s World Cup quarter-final win over Norway on Saturday night.

  

  Arsenal’s Declan Rice managed to make the starting lineup for England’s game against Norway on Saturday, but he was withdrawn at half-time as part of a double change.

  When asked whether the decision was tactical or enforced by Rice’s recent illness, Thomas Tuchel suggested it was a bit of both.

  The primary aim was to bring on a more offensive player for the second half, but the reason Rice was selected to make way over Elliot Anderson was that he’d been struggling with illness during the week.

  

  “Declan, we made a decision in half-time to become more offensive, to have a bit of an offensive shift,” Tuchel explained.

  “We had to take Elliott [Anderson] or Declan out [and] knowing that Declan struggled after the last three days where he was most of the time in bed, I knew he cannot survive 90 minutes.

  “There was a possibility that it goes 120 [minutes], so I didn’t want to waste another change, so the decision was to take Declan out earlier than he needed to go out, just to save us another change later down the match.”

  

  The explanation makes sense, though it’s obviously not ideal that England needed to use Rice at all, in a week of illness struggles. Having the game off completely would have been preferable.

  England have just a few days to rest now, with the World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday. Win or lose, the team will have another match at the weekend.

  After that, Rice and co. can finally begin their summer holidays, a matter of days before some of their club teammates return for pre-season.

  

• Future Arsenal player scores on senior debut with bizarre haircut

  Future Arsenal player Edwin Quintero scored on his senior debut for Independiente del Valle last week, sporting a unique haircut.

  

  Independiente del Valle twin brothers Edwin and Holger Quintero are committed to joining Arsenal when they turn 18 in August 2027, but for the time being they remain with IDV in Ecuador.

  As a result, Edwin Quintero was able to make his senior debut as a substitute last week, and he capped it with an excellent goal.

  With IDV already 3-0 up, Quintero received the ball on the right-hand side before playing a pass through the lines to Hugo Quintana.

  Quintana reversed a pass back into Quintero’s path, and the future Arsenal winger raced into the area, pulled off a ball roll to beat a defender, then fired into the net for his first senior goal. The goal is available to watch here or below from the timestamp 13:23.

  https://youtu.be/xnAKA9TdF7A?si=qf-xzcA8wPvVvwXs

  Yet viewers may have been left confused by Quintero’s patchy hairstyle during the match, clearly visible in the footage as he celebrated the goal and in photos of the event afterwards. After all, the player had a full head of hair when he signed for Arsenal in December.

  The explanation comes from a South American football ritual, with talkSPORT reporting that shaving a young player’s head is a rite of passage. The idea is to humble academy graduates for their first-team debut.

  

  Unlike Edwin, Holger Quintero is still waiting on his senior debut, but he did make the IDV first-team squad for their Copa Ecuador win over Deportivo Santo Domingo in midweek.

  Holger also won the Player of the Tournament award at the Liam Brady Cup at Hale End in May, so there’s not much to split the two brothers, and there’s plenty to be excited about when they finally arrive in north London for good.