Arsenal Round-Up, Thursday 15th October: Saka Inspires Lille Rout as Zubimendi Injury Explained
Arsenal continued their flying start to the season with a comfortable 3-0 Champions League win over Lille at the Emirates, with substitute Bukayo Saka making a huge impact by scoring one goal and setting up another after coming off the bench (BBC Sport). The result made it two wins out of two in Europe for the Premier League champions (BBC Sport), and Football.London notes the Gunners now head into the weekend having won both games since the international break (Football.London).
Attention now turns to Sunday's Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest, with Football.London reporting that Mikel Arteta is set to make five changes, including calls over Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres, as Arsenal chase a third straight win (Football.London). Football.London also suggests Arteta will be keen to address Arsenal's habit of slow starts before kick-off at the City Ground (Football.London).
There was also a boost in understanding around the fitness picture in midfield. Mikel Merino has given further details on the "freak accident" that led to Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie both being injured during a post-match warm-down following the win over Leeds, as reported by the Evening Standard (Evening Standard) and Football.London (Football.London). Zubimendi subsequently missed Tuesday's victory over Lille as a result of the incident (Football.London).
On the women's side, Arsenal have been dealt a fresh fitness blow, with BBC Sport reporting that Mariona Caldentey faces up to ten weeks out of WSL action because of a hamstring injury (BBC Sport).
Away from team news, BBC Sport's gossip column mentions that Arsenal are among the clubs keeping an eye on Newcastle's Bazoumana Toure, alongside Manchester United (BBC Sport). Elsewhere, the Evening Standard's transfer live blog references a "shock Arsenal move" as part of the day's wider rumour mill, though firm details remain scarce (Evening Standard). Football.London also took a closer look at Arsenal's official squad photo, touching on an Eze move, Saliba's absence from the shot, and a confirmed role for Salmon (Football.London).
In a story that will interest many Gunners fans, BBC Sport report that senior figures in European football want former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to stand as a surprise candidate against Gianni Infantino for the Fifa presidency (BBC Sport).
On the club's own channels, Arsenal.com published a look back at a six-goal Match of the Week thriller against Spurs from 2018 (Arsenal.com), highlights of the U19s' 2-3 defeat by LOSC Lille (Arsenal.com), the latest FPL Focus column highlighting interest in Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal.com), the full transcript of Arteta's pre-Leeds press conference (Arsenal.com), Renée's pre-Birmingham press conference in full (Arsenal.com), a feature on Calafiori's competitive streak and title ambitions (Arsenal.com), and a lighthearted quiz segment pitting Kai Havertz against Calafiori (Arsenal.com).
Finally, in off-the-pitch news, Football.London detailed how a former Arsenal player built a fortune after leaving football for a new career (Football.London), while fellow former Gunner Alex Scott returned to a London secondary school to surprise pupils, reflecting on the coaches who supported her coming through the grassroots game (Football.London). Football.London also examined Manchester City's long-term transfer planning in a piece questioning how Arsenal compare when it comes to a reported £285m spending question (Football.London).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.