
William Saliba makes new Arsenal demand after title race woe – 'We always miss something'
William Saliba is confident that Arsenal's business in the summer transfer window will make the difference in the Premier League title race. The Gunners have splashed £200million on new players this summer after finishing second for three straight seasons.
Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga have all joined Mikel Arteta 's squad for the 2025/26 campaign, which started with a win. Arsenal edged past Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford and they are hoping to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City for the title once again.
Gyokeres is perhaps the most important addition, giving Arsenal the centre-forward many believe they have lacked in recent years. And after finishing 10 points adrift of Liverpool and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, Saliba thinks this could be their year.
'Of course we've finished second for three years in a row, and we know that we always miss something,' the centre-back said. 'Now it's a new season, we have to see what we didn't do well enough to win the league.
'We won the first game and of course we want to win the league, and we will give everything. We have to try to be even better than the last three seasons to win this league.
'We know that the new players who came to help us, and I'm sure that they will help us to win some trophies. Of course we are already better with them. Let's see.'
Despite their improvements under Arteta, Arsenal are still chasing a first Premier League title since the famous 2003/04 Invincibles campaign and a first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
Saliba was speaking to reporters after being named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the third straight season. The Gunners were represented by the Frenchman, his centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes and midfielder Declan Rice.
Saliba's partnership with Gabriel has been absolutely vital to their success in the past three seasons and they are ready to prove their class with silverware.
'I'm so happy to play every game with him,' Saliba said. 'He's been injured the last few months, now he's back at his best. He was so good against Manchester again.
'We just miss trophies. We play good, we are good, but we miss trophies, and we have to win trophies with Arsenal to be even better.'
Arsenal host newly-promoted Leeds in their second game on Saturday evening before an early test of their title credentials, when they face Liverpool at Anfield on August 31.
The Gunners have been handed a difficult start to the campaign, with Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle to follow after the international break in September.
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Belfast Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland boss confident Premier League star will be ‘ready to play' in opening World Cup qualifiers
Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill is anticipating that Liverpool star Conor Bradley will be 'ready to play' in next month's World Cup qualifiers in Luxembourg and Germany despite missing the start of the Premier League season. Moments before O'Neill's media briefing on Thursday afternoon at Windsor Park to announce his latest squad – which included Bradley – Liverpool manager Arne Slot revealed that the full-back had trained for 'a few minutes' with the Reds having been ruled out of the FA Community Shield against Crystal Palace and last Friday's 4-2 victory over Bournemouth due to a hamstring injury. The timing of Bradley's return is particularly useful for the Anfield outfit, with summer signing Jeremie Frimpong, who started at right-back versus Palace and the Cherries, now side-lined until after the international break. Whether or not Bradley features or starts in Monday's League game at Newcastle United remains to be seen but O'Neill was sounding positive about the prospects of the Tyrone native being available for the crucial September double header. That will be a boost for the rest of the national team and the fans, who recognise the Premier League winner as one of the country's most influential players. O'Neill stated: 'Conor's good. You know he'd be frustrated because his pre-season I think was going very well and, like anything, there's such competition at a club like Liverpool that you don't want to be injured because you have to try and find your way back into the team. 'But he gets opportunities. There's so many games with the Premier League season and the start of the Champions League. 'We just have to be mindful of where Conor's at physically when we look at him in these two games, but we anticipate that he'll be ready to play and we'll obviously have the dialogue with Liverpool to get their thoughts on that as well. 'Hopefully Conor can get minutes before we meet up on Sunday week.' On that Sunday week O'Neill refers to – August 31 – Liverpool host Arsenal prior to the Northern Ireland squad assembling to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers. Bradley would relish starting in that one. Three of O'Neill's players in his 26 man squad have already played in the Premier League this term – Sunderland duo Trai Hume and Daniel Ballard plus Crystal Palace's Justin Devenny, who came on as a late substitute in his side's scoreless draw at Chelsea on the opening weekend having netted the winning penalty in the shoot-out against Liverpool at Wembley in the Community Shield. Devenny is developing superbly for the Eagles, and with Eberechi Eze set to join Arsenal, the 21-year-old may enjoy even more first team opportunities. 'I think (Palace manager) Oliver Glasner has a lot of faith in Justin,' said O'Neill. 'He gets minutes off the bench. Like anything, sometimes it's maybe not as much as what he'd like, but there's real competition in that team and the position that he plays in. 'I think with Justin, we have a lot of versatility in him. We played him as a wing-back in June and I thought he did extremely well. He's got a real positive attitude to play wherever you ask him to play. 'He's trying to get into a very good and established Premier League team. The players that are keeping him out of that team are moving to Arsenal and that shows you the competition for places. Hopefully, as I say, he just continues on that upward curve. 'Also he showed his confidence, belief, to come on and take the penalty (at Wembley). I think he's very highly thought of at his club.' O'Neill was at the Stadium of Light last weekend to see Hume and Ballard make their Premier League debuts in a 3-0 win against West Ham with the latter scoring. 'Sunderland have invested very heavily in the team and they've invested well based on what I saw in the game. That club's been on a really positive journey for the last three or four seasons,' said O'Neill. 'With the team that started, Trai and Daniel and one other player were the only three players from last season. 'It shows you the regard they're held in by the people at that club. Sunderland clearly have taken on a strategy where they're not just going up to the Premier League to take part and get the financial benefits of that. 'They want to make sure that they can stabilise and stay in the League. If they can do that the first year, you build on that, and the two lads (Hume and Ballard) were terrific in the game against West Ham. 'I think when you have that kind of start, then you have that belief that you can deal with the Premier League. I don't think they should have any fear. It was a real positive start for both of them.' O'Neill added that he has further been encouraged by the early season performances of other key players, such as Shea Charles at Southampton and another Championship ace in Ethan Galbraith following his transfer to Swansea City. The key for the manager is that all of his big hitters are good to go and injury free when the matches in Luxembourg on September 4 and Germany three days later come around.


Metro
10 minutes ago
- Metro
Why Eze isn't playing for Crystal Palace v Fredrikstad as Arsenal transfer looms
Eberechi Eze has been left out of Crystal Palace's matchday squad to face Fredrikstad, with a big-money transfer move to Arsenal looming. Tonight's Europa Conference League play-off clash had initially been billed as the last chance for Palace supporters to watch Eze in their colours when it appeared the midfielder was on his way to Tottenham. But that all changed late on Wednesday night as Arsenal hijacked Spurs' deal and overtook their bitter rivals as the frontrunners for Eze's signature – a stunning twist in one of this summer's most intriguing transfer sagas. The Gunners' dramatic 11th-hour bid to sign the England international progressed at a rapid pace before an agreement worth £60million – plus £7.5m in add-ons – was struck with Palace. In the terms of their deal with Palace, Tottenham had begrudgingly agreed to the prospect of Eze playing for one last time against Norwegian minnows Fredrikstad, despite the obvious risk of injury. Metro's weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. But an impressive performance in Palace's goalless draw at Chelsea last weekend will now prove to be Eze's 169th and final appearance for the south London outfit. According to The Sun, it was agreed with Arsenal that Eze 'won't be taking any risks' by featuring against Fredrikstad, with the 27-year-old determined not to jeopardise or put his dream move to the Emirates in any doubt whatsoever. The Palace ✅ — Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 21, 2025 Eze has been left out of Oliver Glasner's matchday squad altogether at Selhurst Park and Eagles supporters must now get used to life without their star man who, of course, scored the winner in their historic FA Cup triumph last season. Marc Guehi does, though, start and captains the side, despite ongoing discussions over a proposed switch to Liverpool before the transfer deadline. Eze, a versatile attacking midfielder-cum-winger, grew up supporting Arsenal and was released from the Gunners' academy at the age of 13, before making the grade in senior football with QPR. It's understood Tottenham's hierarchy have now set their sights of securing a deal for Aston Villa and England forward Morgan Rogers having given up all hope of landing Eze. Palace's opening encounter with Fredrikstad this evening – the first match of a two-legged play-off round – is the club's first-ever match in European competition. More Trending Glasner's men had initially been preparing to take part in this year's Europa League after upsetting Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final. But it was confirmed last month that the Eagles had been thrown out of Europe's second-tier competition and would instead be playing in Europa Conference League after breaching UEFA's multi-club ownership rules. More to follow. MORE: Michael Owen suggests Man Utd's new £62.5m signing has an 'attitude' problem MORE: Theo Walcott makes worrying Viktor Gyokeres claim after Arsenal's defeat of Man Utd MORE: Three ways Arsenal can line-up with Eberechi Eze in starting XI Your guide to the week in football. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk – sign up, it's an open goal.


The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Liverpool blow as Alexander-Arnold replacement faces month out
Liverpool 's summer signing Jeremie Frimpong will be out until September due to a hamstring injury sustained during his Premier League debut against Bournemouth. The injury leaves manager Arne Slot with a dilemma at right-back for the upcoming matches against Newcastle and Arsenal. Conor Bradley has only just returned to first-team training, and Joe Gomez is also being carefully managed after a pre-season injury, making their availability uncertain. Slot confirmed that the medical team's decision to substitute Frimpong during the Bournemouth game was correct, preventing a potentially longer layoff. The manager is assessing options for the right-back position, including Gomez's fitness and potentially involving new teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni, who has trained with the first team.