Arsenal are the reigning Premier League champions, reached the Champions League final, and have just smashed their closest rivals 3-0 to start the new season with a victory in the Community Shield.

Everything in north London is quite rosy at the moment, with Mikel Arteta having landed his top midfield target in the transfer window by signing Bruno Guimaraes for around £75m from Newcastle, while the club are still pursuing new additions in attack.

The Gunners have also got an abundance of young talent coming through who are knocking on the door to the first team, with Marli Salmon and Max Dowman in particular impressing throughout the last 12 months.

But one incredibly talented young player who helped pave the way for them looks set to be on his way out of the Emirates Stadium this summer, in Ethan Nwaneri.

Arsenal are one of the best attacking units in Europe, scoring well over 100 goals in all competitions last season on their way to a first league title in 22 years, and two cup finals.

Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Leandro Trossard, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, and Noni Madueke were the attacking options for the majority of the campaign. Since then Trossard has joined Besiktas and been replaced by Christos Tzolis, who got two assists in the Community Shield win over City, while Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are expected to depart before the window closes.

But part of the reason that Nwaneri can’t get any regular minutes in the attack is because the manager opted to spend a stunning £52m on Chelsea flop Noni Madueke last summer instead of giving him a pathway into the lineup.

Nwaneri featured for just 447 minutes across all competitions for the north London side in the first half of last season before being loaned to Marseille, before a change of manager meant that he struggled for regular game time there too. But whenever he plays, he tends to impress, and fans are annoyed that he looks set to be allowed to move on.

Arsenal Losing Nwaneri Due to £52m Mistake

Nwaneri signed a new long-term deal at the Emirates Stadium last summer, but it seems to have been for nothing. Madueke is clearly ahead of him in the pecking order despite clear flaws in his game, and there seems to be no way back for the teenager.

But you’d be hard-pressed to find an Arsenal fan who feels that the £52m arrival of Madueke last summer was a successful signing, despite the success of the team last season.

Nwaneri is a more talented player, who has come through the club’s academy, has an affinity with the fans, and has a much higher ceiling than Madueke. Yet according to Fabrizio Romano, the playmaker will definitely be leaving Arsenal this summer, with a number of clubs ready to make their move.

Allowing him to leave is yet another huge mistake in the market by Arteta, and it could see the future of Arsenal playing elsewhere instead of where he should be. It may also be the difference in retaining the Premier League crown for the first time in their history, or going backwards this season.

Manchester United’s pre-season campaign has now come to an end after six games in five different countries, and Michael Carrick has got a much better idea about what to expect from his team.

The team started their preparations for the new season with a clash against Wrexham in Finland, with a very different-looking team considering the World Cup was still taking place, and a number of first-team stars were still on their holidays.

Young defender Leny Yoro was tasked with filling in at right-back with both Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui not around, while summer signing Andrey Santos was the only arrival to feature, playing alongside Mason Mount in midfield. But the team lacked a creative spark, and fell to a 1-0 defeat, despite Joshua Zirkzee, Patrick Dorgu, and Bryan Mbeumo all featuring.

But Man Utd responded well with a similar squad in their next game, as they thrashed Rosenborg 5-0 thanks to goals from Shea Lacey, Joshua Zirkzee, Jacob Devaney, Harry Amass, and Ethan Williams. Ayden Heaven once again stood out in the centre of defence alongside Harry Maguire, while Zirkzee scored what was arguably the best goal of pre-season.

United then travelled to Sweden to take on La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, and despite falling 1-0 behind early on, they fought back to win 2-1 thanks to a Bryan Mbeumo double, as Carrick handed out extra minutes to some senior stars, with Mason Mount, Yoro, and Heaven all playing 90 minutes, and also welcomed back Amad from the World Cup.

European champions PSG were the next opponents in Sweden, and an early Ibrahim Mbaye goal made it look as though United could have a tough day at the office. But an Mbeumo equaliser was enough to earn a draw, as Carrick also welcomed back the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Diogo Dalot to the fold, while Youri Tielemans made his first appearance as a substitute.

That game was marred by an injury suffered by Mason Mount, who limped off after less than 20 minutes and hasn’t returned to action since.

United followed it up with a trip to Dublin to take on Premier League rivals Leeds, and despite a fine strike in the first half from Zirkzee, the team were held to a 1-1 draw in a decent outing, as they controlled possession and looked threatening throughout.

They were credited with the victory on penalties, with Leeds missing two including one that was saved by youngster Dermot Mee.

Carrick’s side then finished up pre-season with a trip to Poland to take on former boss Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan side. A more senior outfit, which also included the returning Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo, and Marcus Rashford.

Goals from Maguire and Dorgu had Man Utd 1-0 and 2-1 up at different stages, but the team ultimately fell to a 4-2 defeat, in a performance that Carrick described as ‘not good enough’.

Man Utd’s Pre-Season in Numbers

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United’s pre-season has been less than exceptional when it comes to results, winning two, drawing two, and losing two of their six games.

The team managed 11 goals in their 6 fixtures, while they conceded a rather disappointing 8 goals in six games, keeping just one clean sheet in the process. Mbeumo was the team’s top scorer, netting three times, while Zirkzee scored twice.

When it comes to minutes, nobody played more than new signing Santos, who featured for 359 minutes across his six games. Closely behind him were Patrick Dorgu (349), Heaven (347), Shaw (346), Maguire (343), and Mbeumo (341). Interestingly nobody registered more that one assist across the six games, although 10 players were credited with an assist.

With two weeks remaining of the transfer window, Man Utd have learnt plenty about their squad and what they need for the rest of the season if they want to be successful, and now all attention will turn towards their opener on Saturday lunchtime.

Carrick is now well aware of the depth his squad has, having been without some key first-team stars for almost the entirety of the preparation for the new season.

Heaven has shown that he is more than ready to step in when necessary, while new signing Santos has made himself undroppable in the opening weeks of the season with his performances and profile. It also means that Carrick shouldn’t feel like he needs to rush Mainoo back too quickly, despite his importance last season.

It’s clear that more depth is needed, however, if the team is going to be successful this season, and with two weeks remaining of the transfer window, they are running out of time to get it done.

Former Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has been spotted in a new role as he continues to search for a new club after being released by Feyenoord.

The wide man left Stamford Bridge in January after being frozen out of the first-team picture by manager Enzo Maresca. He signed for Robin van Persie’s Feyenoord shortly after, but made just eight appearances across all competitions, failing to score and providing one assist.

He’s since been without a club, with no prospective suitors opting to take a chance on him yet.

This inability to find a new place to ply his trade rounds off what has been a torrid few years for the 31-year-old, a period that was compounded by his arrest back in May.

Raheem Sterling Has Had a Difficult Few Years

Sterling has enjoyed an outstanding career, winning four Premier League titles and making 82 appearances for England. However, things have been difficult for him since Maresca made it clear that he had no future at Stamford Bridge back in 2024.

Despite enjoying a relatively productive 2023/24 campaign, which saw him hit double figures for goals, the Italian head coach ostracised the ex-Liverpool man in an attempt to reduce the size of his inflated squad.

This paid dividends for Maresca, as Sterling ultimately went on loan to Arsenal on deadline day in 2024. An underwhelming season at the Emirates ensued, and six months on the sidelines followed before he was released by Chelsea and ventured to the Netherlands for his latest stint.

Less than two weeks after the Eredivisie season finished, Sterling was arrested after crashing his car in Hampshire. It was revealed in a police statement that the wide man was under the influence of drugs and was also in possession of class C substances.

Three months later, no club has opted to take a punt on the player.

Raheem Sterling Now Coaching the Next Generation

Sterling isn’t spending his time without a club doing nothing. The four-time Premier League winner has been keeping busy by coaching the next generation of footballers at his own RS7 academy.

The academy’s social media pages have been pumping out content of Sterling putting aspiring footballers through their paces, passing on his insight and knowledge to youngsters looking to develop into professional players.

The clips circulating online show Sterling running hands-on coaching sessions, teaching young players various skills such as finishing and dribbling.

Sterling launched the academy in August 2025, seeking to provide players aged 5-12 with high-level training and personal development.