Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri have been left out of Arsenal's squad for the Community Shield against Manchester City, a clear signal from Mikel Arteta that they are not part of his plans for the 2026/27 season. The match at Wembley on Sunday afternoon serves as the season opener, and Arteta's selection has sent a message to his fringe players as the summer transfer window enters its final 16 days.
New signings start immediately
New signings Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis have been thrust straight into the starting XI following their arrivals, while others have been overlooked. The starting lineup against City includes Raya, White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Guimaraes, Odegaard, Madueke, Tzolis, and Havertz. The substitutes are Arrizabalaga, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Merino, Rice, Eze, Dowman, Saka, and Gyokeres.
Martinelli, Jesus, and Nwaneri have all been linked with transfers this window, and their absence from the squad suggests a departure is imminent. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are also on the bench, having returned late from England's World Cup campaign.
Transfer activity and interest
So far this summer, only Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior, Karl Hein, and Christian Norgaard have left Arsenal for transfer fees, moving to Besiktas, Porto, Werder Bremen, and Everton respectively. Galatasaray want to sign Martinelli for €45 million (£38m), but the Brazilian is reportedly reluctant to move to Turkey. Martinelli has been with Arsenal since 2019 and is entering the final year of his contract.
Napoli are in talks to sign Jesus, who is also in the last 12 months of his deal and has fallen behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres in the pecking order. Jesus is expected to join Napoli for around £17m once they sell Romelu Lukaku and Lorenzo Lucca. He would link up with former Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund in Italy.
Nwaneri, 19, is also of interest to Galatasaray, who have suggested a swap deal involving Victor Osimhen. AC Milan, Fulham, Red Bull Leipzig, and Borussia Dortmund are also keen, according to BBC Sport. Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is tasked with finding new clubs for the unwanted players, with Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira also on the transfer list.
Arteta on new signings and returning players
Arteta is looking forward to seeing his new signings in action. "Christos came early so that always helps. Bruno joined us last week. He's in good condition and we know what he will bring to the team," he told TNT Sports. On integrating players back after the World Cup, he added: "It is something very individual. Declan played over 65 games; he needed complete rest and we have to build him up. They remain so competitive. They wanted to be involved and that's good to see as well."
