Mikel Arteta’s new contract, a nervy win over Leeds, another European victory and the emergence of Bruno Guimaraes as a midfield influence have given Arsenal plenty to digest in a hectic week.
Quite a lot has happened since my last dispatch.
Last week, Mikel Arteta signed a new contract with the Premier League champions. Have you got tired of referring to Arsenal in that way yet? No, of course you haven’t, why would you?
Mikel’s new deal, befitting his status as the Premier League capo di tutti capi, makes him the highest-paid manager in the country and will take him to 2030 and 11 years in the hot seat. Who would have thought, when he walked back into a “dead” football club way back in 2019, we’d now be here?
I suppose he might have.
He was, after all, the one with a vision and a plan to execute that vision.
Though how Willian fit into that vision was just as mystifying to all of us as it evidently was to the Brazilian. We wish you’d never signed for us too, Willian, but I’d say taking a pop at the manager with a Premier League winners’ medal still gleaming around his neck shows a characteristic lack of timing.
Hot on the heels of Mikel’s new deal came word that Declan Rice was about to follow his manager in signing new terms with the club. You might have thought, buoyed by so much positivity, that Rice and Arsenal would have come flying out of the blocks at home to Leeds last weekend, and you would, of course, have been wrong.
Let me tell you, it was a very unpleasant feeling to be stood in the Clock End with my cousin Josh, literally inches away from 3,000 ecstatic Yorkies as they celebrated the opening goal of the game. The worst thing about it was that it was completely merited and had been in the post since the beginning of a horrible second half.
This is where the manager earned his increased pay packet, though.
I, and I think most people watching, would have removed the aforementioned Rice when Bruno G was introduced to proceedings just after Riccardo Calafiori‘s slightly undeserved equaliser, assisted by Benny Blanco.
Nope. It was MLS, who had been playing quite well, I thought, who got the hook. Of course, Deccers spent the next half-hour completely vindicating that decision with an all-action performance, culminating in a backheel which practically begged Bruno G to find the net, the Brazilian having kicked off a move which flowed from one end and one flank of the pitch to the other.
An absolutely genius goal, and definitely the best team one of the weekend.
Watching the second half back on Sunday, it was quite interesting how obviously Bruno had unlocked Odegaard and Rice. There’s probably something in Leeds tiring after the hour of effort they’d put in.
Nonetheless, I thought some of the combinations between Bruno and Ode, in particular, were really encouraging and exactly what I felt Bruno had been brought to the club for.
Bukayo Saka did not have his best day and, as such, I didn’t feel super confident about his chances of scoring when, in the very last action of the game, Gyokeres put him in clear.
I was right, as James Trafford managed to block his shot, but it didn’t matter as the final whistle went immediately afterwards.
Happily, we can stop talking about the number 7’s finishing now, following his very smartly taken goal to put the full stop on our 3-0 win at home to Lille on Tuesday evening.
For those of you watching that game on TNT, I don’t know if the tone of the commentary “Fletch” provided was as baffling to you as it was to me, but I had to mute the volume at one point.
Let me tell you, that isn’t what we call him at home. I mean, he’s bad enough, but when joined by the monotone of Steven Gerrard, it’s enough to make you feel murderous.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Arsenal played particularly well through most of the game, but despite Havertz, Odegaard and Saka being on the bench, we should really have been at least 2-0 up at the break, Merino heading straight at the keeper and Bruno somehow firing wide from a Timber cross.
Substitute bench activity around the hour mark brought a goal for the second game running. Again, it was one of our full-backs, too defensive, us?
Jurrien Timber scored a wonderful, two-touch goal from a Madueke pass. Like London buses, the second goal arrived almost immediately afterwards, as substitute Saka found Eze rushing into the box to fire home with his left foot. Football had become easy again.
Don’t get me wrong, the first half of this game was not one I think I’m desperate to go back and review. That being said, I had to laugh when a Fletch ramble about Arsenal’s “struggles” was undermined by a graphic appearing on the screen showing Arsenal had had something like 14 shots on goal to Lille’s two. In the 75th minute.
I think Lille only had three penalty-box touches in the game, which, okay, is more than Viktor Gyokeres managed, but if that’s a struggling Arsenal side, I don’t think you wanna see us when we’re angry.
The narrative around Arsenal continues to amuse and, ultimately, provide fuel for these pieces. Especially when you see the fawning coverage some afforded to Shamchester City following their, Chris Kavanagh-assisted win at Anfield and then their, checks notes, defeat to PSG last night.
Arsenal won. City lost. Here is the Telegraph on both
— Daily Cannon (@dailycannon.com) 15 October 2026 at 07:52
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I had to check, again, that they lost yesterday.
When I flicked that game on at full-time, the very same commentary team who had, one night previously, covered Arsenal winning 3-0 as though we’d had a lucky win were so effusive about City I thought they must have won.
No, having spent £330m on three central midfielders in the summer, they’d lost 4-2.
At home.
Clearly, there are levels to this game.
To close, I’d like to pay my own tribute to Ken Friar, Arsenal’s Life President, who sadly passed away on Tuesday at the age of 92.
When we talk about Arsenal’s values, the positive ones anyway, I think we think of Mr Friar as the man who most embodied them and, having given so many years of his life to the Arsenal, he will be missed by everyone connected to the football club.
My condolences, of course, to his friends and family.
- Arsenal keep winning while the old narratives refuse to disappearMikel Arteta’s new deal, Bruno Guimaraes’ impact, two Arsenal wins and a tribute to Ken Friar feature in a busy week for the champions.
- Arsenal away kit debut wait goes on – for nowArsenal are set to wear their third kit against Nottingham Forest this weekend, meaning the wait for the new away kit’s men’s competitive debut is set to continue.
- Key Nottingham Forest star could miss Arsenal clash through injuryNottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White is a doubt to face Arsenal on Sunday, with at least two other Forest players ruled out of the match.
- Arsenal injury updates on 4 players pre-Nottingham ForestMikel Arteta had injury updates on Arsenal’s four absentees on Friday, with Martin Zubimendi potentially in line to play against Nottingham Forest.
- Bournemouth now willing to sell Arsenal targetAFC Bournemouth are now open to selling Arsenal target Alex Scott in the January transfer window, though only if they receive a very large bid for the midfielder.