Arsenal began their pre-season schedule with a 4-1 win over Girona, with Kai Havertz, Max Dowman, Gabriel Jesus and summer signing Christos Tzolis all on target.
The friendly was Arsenal's first of four pre-season matches and gave supporters their first glimpse of Tzolis, who joined from Club Brugge for £34m this summer. The Greece international was signed by Mikel Arteta after Leandro Trossard left the club for Besiktas.
Havertz's verdict on Tzolis
Asked for his first impressions of Tzolis, Havertz told the club's official website: "Amazing. I think you saw his quality from the first minute. I mean, I saw it already a couple of years ago when I saw him playing in Germany. He's a top guy and a top player, we're all very glad to have him here."
Discussing the match more generally, the Arsenal title winner added: "I think it was a good win. You saw already the connections we had on the pitch. It was a good test for us against a good team and I think we played strong. We need to continue like that now. Now is a new season, new standards and we need to do more to achieve our goals again. Of course, we had a good year last year but we want more trophies to make the fans happy and that's what we're here for."
Arteta's verdict
Arteta also spoke about Tzolis after the match, saying fans would "love" the 24-year-old. "I'm very pleased with him," said Arteta. "First of all, the way he has adapted to the club, to the team. The connection he's already generated with the boys. I think you're going to love the player. He's a very direct player. He's got the ball between the eyes. I think really good at linking up. He has a lot of similarities with Leo [Trossard] in a lot of the things that he can do and the spaces he can occupy. And then the work ethic that he has. He's a boy that comes with so much hunger as well and wants to prove it. It's a dream for him and we are here to help him."
What comes next for Arsenal
Arsenal have three more pre-season friendlies against Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund and Como before facing Manchester City in the Community Shield. Their Premier League title defence begins with a home match against newly-promoted Coventry City on August 21.
Asked about the difference going into the new season as champions, Arteta said: "I think we have even more responsibility and more ambition than before. We know what is ahead. We know the qualities and the capacity that we have to compete with any other team. We need to prove that we belong at this level."
