Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (16:30pm BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Speaking about not signing another forward during the transfer window, Arteta said: "I love the players that we have, that is for sure. It is what it is, this is what we have and we already have some very, very good players. Let's trust them and let's make sure we are right behind them, and I will do everything we can to help the incredible talent that we have."

• In May, Arteta called on Arsenal to be "very ambitious, very fast and very smart" this summer and when asked if he thinks that has happened, he replied: "One hundred per cent ticked. The outcome after can be different to what you expect, but the intention was certainly there which is what I value most."

• Bruno Guimaraes is being assessed after picking up a knock against Aston Villa, but Arteta expects him to be "ok for training" on Saturday.

• Cristhian Mosquera's withdrawal against Villa was "more precaution than anything else", with Arteta saying they will assess how he feels in the next training session.

• Ezri Konsa is "certainly available in the squad" to face Chelsea, although Arteta will make a decision on whether he starts after considering his options.

• Jurrien Timber is "in really good condition" after spending several weeks back on the training pitch with the squad. Arteta will decide on his availability for Sunday after Saturday's session.

• William Saliba's return date remains unclear as he continues his recovery from a back problem. Arteta said the progression has been "really positive" but they need to see how he responds when more load is introduced.

• Arteta said including Saliba in the Champions League squad was an "easy" decision and they had the space to do so.

• On Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, a childhood friend, Arteta said he is "really happy for him" and described facing each other while managing two of the country's top clubs as "a beautiful experience".

• Arteta said the focus for Ethan Nwaneri is now on playing for Borussia Dortmund after joining them on loan. On a clause allowing him to return to Arsenal in January, he said: "Then we will see what happens."

• Nwaneri could potentially face Arsenal in the Champions League, with Arteta confirming that is possible because different rules apply to the competition compared with the Premier League.

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Arsenal secured an option to recall winger Ethan Nwaneri, who has joined Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan, in January if they need. (Sky Sports Germany), external

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Gabriel Martinelli says he felt like "an adopted Hale End boy" during his seven years at Arsenal.

Martinelli has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for a fee of £60m after being told by manager Mikel Arteta he was not part of his plans for this season.

The 25-year-old joined the Gunners from Brazilian side Ituano in 2019 as an 18-year-old and made 278 appearances for the club, scoring 62 goals and providing 36 assists.

He made 53 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring 11 goals, as the Gunners won the top-flight title for the first time since 2004.

"When I arrived here, seven years ago, I was just a boy who had only recently turned 18," Martinelli wrote in his farewell message posted on social media., external

"In my heart, I thought I would stay forever. But life is constantly changing and sometimes our paths take us in directions different from the ones we had planned.

"We became FA Cup champions, Community Shield and finally achieved the one we had waited so long for, becoming Premier League champions. With Brasil, I won an Olympic gold medal, played in two World Cups, and scored a very special goal. And here, with Arsenal, I reached 98 goal contributions.

"I've spent seven years at this club. I feel like an adopted Hale End boy, you could say. I found a family that took care of me and watched me grow throughout all these years.

"I can only thank the staff and my team-mates. Thank you to the chefs, kit staff, doctors, doormen, security staff, media team, cleaning staff, physios and every single team-mate who has been part of my story from 2019 until today. Thank you to everyone who helped me grow during this journey.

"And to the fans, thank you for everything. Since my first day, you made me feel at home. Every time I stepped on the pitch, despite everything, I tried to give everything I had for this shirt.

"To Arsenal, thank you for believing in me and giving me the chance to show myself to the world."

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

The 'here we go' is on hold, the 'bombas' are done and dusted and the window panes are reverberating after being forcefully closed on Tuesday night.

Now comes the moment for new arrivals to make their mark on the pitch rather than the balance sheet.

Throughout the Premier League era there have been hordes of transfer hits and misses, but today we're looking at those signings who proved game-changing for their club and the competition, the ones who really moved the needle.

I've ranked my top 10 and this is where Sol Campbell's controversial move across north London places.

Image source, Getty Images

4. Sol Campbell, Tottenham to Arsenal, free transfer, July 2001

A handful of journalists gathered at Arsenal's London Colney training base expecting the unveiling of goalkeeper Richard Wright from Ipswich. Instead they were stunned to see former Tottenham skipper Sol Campbell walk in.

The England defender, who joined Spurs as a youngster more than a decade earlier, had lucrative offers from Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

There was no inkling that he would end up down the road at Highbury instead, the deal sealed during clandestine meetings with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and vice-chairman David Dein.

"I have kept my head when other people around me were losing it," Campbell said at the unveiling of a transfer that was both seismic in the north London rivalry and the direction of the Premier League trophy.

He proved a phenomenal presence at the heart of Arsenal's defence, winning the league and FA Cup double that season and adding another Premier League crown as one of the 'Invincibles' two years later - a title clinched, of all places, at White Hart Lane.

Read Alex's top 10 game-changing transfers in Premier League history and make your own selections here

Arsenal will consider a move for Bournemouth's 20-year-old French forward Eli Junior Kroupi in January. (Independent, external)

Meanwhile, Gunners assistant manager Gabriel Heinze reached out to 29-year-old Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez – a fellow Argentine – over a potential move before the window closed but the Italian club refused to consider a deal. (Mail - subscription required, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Steve Sutcliffe, Emlyn Begley and Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalists

Premier League clubs have broke their all-time summer transfer record with spending reaching £3.49bn.

A total of £506.5m was spent on deadline day itself, up from £391m last year.

The total amount spent during the window considerably dwarfs the £1.13bn spent by clubs just five years ago and underlines the power top English clubs have to attract talent, according to figures provided to BBC Sport by Paul Macdonald, founder of FootballTransfers.com.

Three of the 10 most expensive signings in the history of football have happened this summer – with all of them being Premier League signings. In fact, this summer window featured four of the top flight's five most expensive ever deals.

So maybe it is not surprising then that of the 20 most expensive transfers completed, only six were not to clubs in the English top flight.

Indeed, newly-promoted Ipswich have spent more on new signings than the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus and reigning European champions PSG.

Premier League clubs as a whole were willing to dip deep into their pockets this summer, as 11 of the 20 clubs broke their transfer records, six of them on more than one occasion.

Coventry, promoted to the Premier League alongside Ipswich and Hull, have done so four times over.

Read more on the Premier League's record-breaking transfer spending

We asked for your overall assessment of Arsenal's summer transfer window, with plenty of money spent on strengthening the squad and some regular first-team names moving on.

Here are some of your replies:

Neil: Is something deeply broken behind the scenes? Andrea Berta has absolutely stitched up Mikel Arteta here. He failed him so spectacularly in the final hours of the window. To sanction the exits of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard, without securing a single elite forward replacement, is borderline negligent. It has left a Premier League title-chasing manager with virtually no senior depth in attack. Berta has shown he is entirely out of his depth and he should be sacked immediately.

Tom: Solid midfield and defensive signings, but it is clear we weren't able to get anyone over the line to fill one of the spots on the left side of the attack. Eberechi Eze is not a winger. Surely the club can't expect Christos Tzolis to carry that left side on his own?

Theo: Arsenal are too weak on the left wing now. An average window where direct rivals performed better on paper.

Sterls: Julian Alvarez was too overpriced and he didn't want to play for us, so it was a good decision not to buy him. My only disappointment was not bringing in another left winger after losing Martinelli. I would've taken a punt on Marcus Rashford or brought someone in on loan who could've been effective cover. Overall, I'm pleased with the business Arsenal have done.

Lara: Unfortunately, our transfer conduct may very well cost us dearly. If a replacement for Martinelli had not been secured, why on earth did we force him out? It is the left side that will cost us. We struggle to create at the best of times, so this is a serious mistake. It is certainly not the conduct of champions. I feel sorry for Tzolis, he is under extreme pressure to overperform twice a week now.

Arsenal have started the new Premier League season with two wins as the transfer window closes, looking in ominous shape to retain the crown they won for the first time in 22 years last season.

The Gunners had a quiet final day to the window having concluded their business before the traditional late rush – but those hoping to unseat the reigning champions have all been busy expensively re-shaping their squads to mount a challenge.

So how do Arsenal look? And have their main rivals done enough to prevent Mikel Arteta's side winning a second successive title?

And what are the other big issues as the Premier League's transfer business was concluded until January?

Arsenal's interest in Atletico Madrid's Argentina forward Julian Alvarez did not bear fruit, despite their attempts to persuade him away from his preferred destination of Barcelona.

Alvarez's dream move to Barcelona was emphatically blocked by the Atletico hierarchy, leaving The Gunners with hope he may take the only choice available to him to leave Diego Simeone's side.

In the end, no deal was done – and perhaps the only flaw in Arsenal's current make-up is whether they carry a consistent spearhead threat up front.

Elsewhere, they look formidable in all areas and still the team to beat after cruising past Coventry City and winning at Aston Villa in their opening two league games

They also dismantled Manchester City in The Community Shield, and have had an excellent transfer window to build on last season's success, when the Premier League was won and they reached the Champions League Final.

Bruno Guimaraes, a £75m signing from Newcastle United, showed in his brief cameo in the 1-0 win against Aston Villa what he will bring - passes that cut through the home defence and a fierce competitive edge.

England defender Ezri Konsa offers instant class in defence after moving from Aston Villa, and while Christos Tzolis had a tough night at Villa Park, substituted at half-time, he has already demonstrated what an asset he could be on the left flank.

Not quite a case of "No Alvarez No Problem", but he was hardly a deal breaker for Arsenal, who still look best equipped to win another title at the conclusion of the transfer window.

Read more from Phil on the Premier League's challengers

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Finding an attacker who could elevate a squad that almost won a domestic and European double has proved difficult for Arsenal this summer.

The Gunners want to be one of the best clubs in the world.

In an interview with the Times, chief executive Richard Garlick said that joining the world's super-clubs is "the goal - that's the ambition".

In that same interview, Garlick acknowledged that the "pool of players is smaller now than it was a few years ago if we're going to improve".

And unfortunately, Arsenal have found that out this summer.

They went into this window with interest in Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola, Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Jr.

They didn't sign any of them.

Ultimately, Real Madrid offered Vinicius a bigger package than they had done before Arsenal's interest stepped up.

Questions will be posed as to why the club did not go big for Rogers, but Arsenal stuck to their valuation of £80m before Chelsea then paid £117m for the former Aston Villa forward.

That left Julian Alvarez as the only available target in the window after Liverpool succeeded in bringing in Bradley Barcola.

However, Alvarez returned to training with the Spanish side and, despite Arteta's best efforts laying out plans to the player, the deal did not come off.

There is no denying that Arsenal wanted a game-changing attacker this summer - if there was one available.

Not signing one this window does leave them with the chance to act again in January or wait completely until next summer to try to bring in a new forward.

But there will be uncomfortable conversations about why there hasn't been one during this window, even if the football leadership team are content with the business the club has done.

The Gunners are still looking like the early season favourites and have the potential to defend their title, but criticism surrounding the lack of a new forward will be tough to avoid if goals start to become hard to come by.

Arsenal fans, are you concerned by the lack of attacking signings? And what, if anything, do you wish had been done differently this summer?

Get in touch with your views here

Arsenal rejected an enquiry from Chelsea for midfielder Martin Zubimendi. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Arsenal have done the following business on transfer deadline day:

• Forward Gabriel Jesus has completed a 10m (£8.6m) move to Barcelona.

• Midfielder Fabio Vieira has joined Bundesliga side Hamburg in a permanent deal.

• Ethan Nwaneri has signed for Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan.

• Arsenal goalkeeper Tommy Setford has gone on loan to Stevenage for the rest of the season.

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Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal are in talks with Stevenage over loaning young goalkeeper Tommy Setford to the League One club.

BBC Sport revealed earlier that talks over a deal for the 20-year-old to join Las Palmas on loan had stalled.

And the Gunners have held discussions over sending Setford to Stevenage for the rest of the season.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Midfielder Fabio Vieira has left Arsenal to join Bundesliga club Hamburg in a 10m euros (£8.6m) deal.

The 26-year-old Portuguese has been out on loan for the past two years, spending the 2024-25 campaign at Porto and then last season with Hamburg.

Vieira joined Arsenal from Porto in 2022 and made 49 appearances during his time in north London.

The midfielder was one of the players Arsenal were looking sell, with forwards Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli also expected to leave the club on permanent deals.

Meanwhile, academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri is nearing a loan move to Borussia Dortmund.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland have agreed a deal worth just under £30m for Lyon winger Malick Fofana.

The 21-year-old is travelling to England for a medical and is expected to sign a five-year contract.

The deal for the Belgium forward will cost an initial £25.6m, with a potential £4.3m in add-ons.

Fofana is understood to be excited by the prospect of joining the Black Cats before their first European campaign in 51 years, having qualified for the Europa League.

The move follows attempts by Arsenal to sign Fofana, but the Premier League champions were unable to agree a fee with Lyon.

BBC Radio London will be bringing you a special show on later on Tuesday examining the transfer business done by Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Tottenham.

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, former EFL and National League defender Jamal Fyfield and journalist Charlotte Richardson will be the guests in the studio for the programme, which will run from 22:00 to 00:00 BST, taking in the 23:00 transfer deadline.

Watch the show here later