1Nwaneri out of Arsenal pictureWhile Myles Lewis-Skelly looks likely to remain at the Emirates, the same can’t be said for Ethan Nwaneri. The 19-year-old was outstanding in his breakthrough season for Arsenal in 2024-25 but barely featured last season and was sent on loan to Marseille. That didn’t really work out and Arsenal are now exploring another temporary move to ensure Nwaneri gets regular football this season. Milan, RB Leipzig, Dortmund and Fulham are all thought to be interested, with Nwaneri unlikely to feature on the bench for Friday’s opener against Coventry as a result. Whether Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are available remains to be seen as Arsenal attempt to find suitors for the Brazil duo. Ed Aarons
Arsenal v Coventry City, Friday 8pm (all times BST)
2New United pair down for Tigers testManchester United’s summer transfer business has focused on recruiting in central midfield. It will be interesting to see who Michael Carrick selects in two key roles for the first game of the season. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have been present for more of pre-season than Kobbie Mainoo, who did not play a minute for England at the World Cup and was a late returner to Carrington after a holiday. Carlos Baleba surely will not have arrived in time to start at Hull. Mainoo is in the best position in the long term but if Carrick decides to ease him into the season, it would be intriguing to see how Santos and Tielemans team up, the stress test for a new partnership that could provide the perfect balance of defensive awareness and ability to move the team up the pitch. Will Unwin
