Arsenal

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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Declan Rice feels like he will get an assist "every time" he takes a corner - and says England supporters should be "excited" for what is to come at the World Cup.

England looked threatening from set-pieces during their 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening match of the tournament on Wednesday.

Harry Kane's opening goal from the penalty spot came after Noni Madueke was fouled following a Rice cross - and the England captain headed home his second from a Rice corner.

The 27-year-old was part of an Arsenal side that scored from a record 19 corners last season as they won their first Premier League title in 22 years.

However, the Gunners faced criticism for a pragmatic style of play and reliance on set-pieces (scoring 25 goals from set-plays overall).

"Everyone's enjoying [set-pieces] now, aren't they?" Rice said, speaking to BBC Sport at England's base in Kansas City. "Everyone's enjoying them now."

Rice became Arsenal's designated set-piece taker in January 2024 after a mid-season training camp in Dubai - and the Gunners are now renowned for their prowess from such situations.

"I wouldn't ever take corners or set-pieces, but [set-piece coach] Nico [Jover] and the manager at Arsenal saw something in me that others didn't," Rice said.

"They said that I can put balls in areas from a dead ball that no-one else can in the team at Arsenal other than Bukayo [Saka]. From that moment, I really just bought into that, believed in that.

"As time has gone on, every time I put down a ball for a set-piece - whether it's a corner or a wide free-kick - I feel like I'm going to get an assist or make something happen that's dangerous.

"That's a good mentality to have over set-pieces... and England fans can be excited."

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka has trained with the England squad to provide a fitness boost to manager Thomas Tuchel before their second World Cup match against Ghana.

The 24-year-old did not fully train with the rest of the squad on Saturday, instead doing some individual work for part of the session.

However, it is understood that Saka did take part in normal training for England's penultimate session on Sunday before Tuesday's game in Boston (21:00 BST kick-off).

Saka is nursing an Achilles tendinitis issue and started Wednesday's 4-2 win over Croatia on the bench.

Tuchel has since said Saka is unlikely to be in contention to start until the third group game against Panama.

The attacker has been carrying the issue for a while, and though there was concern behind the scenes at Arsenal about the niggle, they deemed him fit enough to start regularly during their 2025-26 run-in.

It is understood that Saka's ongoing Achilles issue has not deteriorated since the climax of the domestic campaign, when his side won their first Premier League title in 22 years.

Arsenal are hopeful Declan Rice can help persuade fellow England midfielder Morgan Rogers, 23, to join them from Aston Villa this summer. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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Now Arsenal's fixtures are out, Mikel Arteta can start to plot how he intends to begin the defence of their Premier League title.

The champions kick-off the season at home to newly promoted Coventry City on the first Friday night match of the season.

And it will be the first time that the Emirates Stadium will be able to welcome the squad who ended their 22-year wait for a league title.

The period which has caught the eye for the Gunners is the festive fixtures, which can be a gruelling time of year.

Arsenal have eight games in a row from December to January 16th, at which point they are scheduled to play Hull City, where they won't leave London.

By the time the Gunners get to the end-of-season run-in they will be hoping to be in a commanding position in the league.

They will start the month of May against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, before taking on Nottingham Forest, Everton and Brighton, which are matches Arsenal will be favourites in and could be the games that decide whether they are able to defend their Premier League crown.

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We asked for your views on Arsenal's 2026-27 fixtures and what sort of start you can expect Mikel Arteta's men to have.

Here are some of your comments:

Gilbert: Brilliant first fixture for the Arsenal. I look forward to playing promoted Coventry, will be a cracking game!

Martin: I reckon 26 points should be achievable in the first 10 games. Aston Villa and Liverpool away are the difficult ones in that run, with Chelsea the toughest team at home.

Croix: Great. If we successfully retain the Premier League trophy then we would lift it at the Emirates stadium, not at an away ground, yippee! Good luck to the team. COYG.

Vince: It's a favourable list for the second-straight season. Games against non-big teams at the start and end mean we have the chance to set an early pace and finish strongly. That's a massive advantage that we need to take. The slippery period starts 31 October against Liverpool and continues across November and December with games against Manchester City and Manchester United, among other bigger boys. But if we start strong in the prior months, we'd have hopefully built up a good buffer for those danger months.

Fikre: I expect Arsenal to accumulate 26 points from their first 10 games - drawing to Aston Villa and Liverpool, and winning the other eight games. Hence, this will give them the biggest advantage towards defending the Premier League title.

• Read more on the matches and rule changes for 2026-27

Arsenal will begin their title defence with a home game against newly promoted Coventry City on the opening weekend of the 2026-27 Premier League season.

The match will take place on Friday, 21 August at 20:00 BST, with the Gunners' first away fixture against Aston Villa on the weekend of 29-30 August.

Mikel Arteta's side face Crystal Palace (A), Fulham (A), Ipswich Town (H) and Brentford (H) over the Christmas and New Year period.

And they end their league season against Brighton at Emirates stadium on Sunday, 30 May, when all games will kick off at the same time.

See Arsenal's Premier League fixtures in full here

Now you have seen the fixtures, what kind of start do you think the Gunners will have? How many points do you expect after the first 10 games?

Send us your thoughts here

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With the countdown to the 2026-27 Premier League fixture release well and truly on, we asked for your stories of opening-day games - both good and bad - that have stuck in your minds most.

Here are some of your replies:

David: The most memorable opening day has to be the 2006-07 season - our first at the Emirates. All the hope and then Aston Villa scored the first goal. Luckily, Gilberto Silva scored a penalty to save our blushes. Memorable but maybe not for the best reason.

Kevin: 1998 - Wimbledon 1-5 Arsenal. A great day and a sign of things to come that season, with a new-look Arsenal side with several new signings outplaying Wimbledon from the start.

Mike: At the time, having recently moved to Coventry, losing 3-0 to them at Highbury in 1993. A summer of hope and expectation, having won both domestic cups that year, dashed in an afternoon!

Les: Arsenal 0-3 Coventry in 1993. Micky Quinn hat-trick. A sad day and went missing for a week.

Jude: The loss to newly promoted Brentford in 2021 left me in utter despair.

Phil: Worst opening day - I was taking my girlfriend at the time to the Emirates for her first Arsenal game. She came from a family of Manchester City supporters. I was giving it the big one of 'we didn't buy our success' and 'get ready for real fans and football'. We lost 3-1 to Aston Villa. I was broken by the performance more than the result and the embarrassment was horrific. Best was the game away to Manchester United last season. I knew we would do big things because of it.

Come back to this page at 10:00 BST to see how the Gunners' 2026-27 Premier League fixtures have fallen.

Arsenal have had their first bid for Leicester City and England Under-19 winger Jeremy Monga rejected – the 19-year-old is one of the club's long-term targets for the summer. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

The Gunners are also preparing a bid for Paris St-Germain and France winger Bradley Barcola, 23. (Independent), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Arsenal's Declan Rice is expected to be available for England's World Cup match against Ghana after suffering from lower back pain during the win over Croatia.

The midfielder was substituted midway through the second half, raising concerns about his fitness.

But it is understood the back issue is unlikely to prevent Rice from playing against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday (21:00 BST kick-off).

The complaint is one that the 27-year-old has been carrying for a while and will require managing during the tournament.

Speaking after the game, manager Thomas Tuchel said: "Declan had some unusual ball losses and I saw a bit of discomfort.

"And then I asked him, and he pointed directly to his lower back, upper hamstring, that he feels the discomfort.

"I didn't want to take any risks, I hope it's nothing more. Declan just reassured me at the end.

"We will take care of it, and it's nothing big to worry about."

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We asked you which players you have watched at the World Cup that you think would be a great fit at Arsenal

Here are some of your comments:

Rob: I'd like Arsenal to target some promising youth this window - we bought established stars last summer, so let's supplement that with the next generation. For me, we should be targeting Ayyoub Bouaddi from Morocco and Gilberto Mora from Mexico. I'd love to see us pick up Kenan Yildiz from Turkey, but that might be asking for too much.

Alexander: Andrea Berta needs to bring Bouaddi to Arsenal. He completely controlled the game against Brazil and is a phenomenal young talent who could really add quality to Arsenal's midfield.

Steve: Morocco's teen dynamo Bouaddi - something Viera-esque about him in terms of his height and build, his confidence and composure on the ball, long legs moving him casually but quickly around the pitch, constantly seeking the ball from his team mates, relentlessly involved in the play and having a positive impact upon the game. Would love to see him in an Arsenal shirt!

Jordan: As an Arsenal fan, keep an eye on Bouaddi, Bradley Barcola, and Morgan Rogers this World Cup. Bouaddi looks like a calm, press-resistant midfielder who could fit Arsenal's controlled style. Barcola brings electric pace and directness as a winger who can stretch any defence. And Rogers is a powerful, confident attacking midfielder who drives forward with the ball and creates chances. All three have that mix of youth, technique and intensity that would suit Mikel Arteta's system really well and we can go on and conquer England and the other tournaments!

Spotted someone you want for Arsenal? Let us know who and why he'd fit

Arsenal are set to make an offer to sign Georgia Under-21 international Andria Bartishvili.

The 17-year-old is contracted to parent club FC Kolkheti until the end of 2026 and it is understood that the Gunners are set to make a pre-contract offer to the teenager.

Talks over the move are ongoing but Arsenal are not the only club vying for Bartishvili.

Bartishvili, a versatile attacking midfielder, spent last season at Iberia 1999, helping the club finish second in the Georgian top-flight - missing out on the title by one point.

Bartishvili is viewed as one of the brightest talents in Georgian football and has also been linked with moved to a number or Italian sides, including Juventus.

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In Tuesday's World Cup win over Iraq, Arsenal and Norway's Martin Odegaard completed 97.6% of his passes. In total, Odegaard played 42 passes and found a team-mate with 41 of them.

Two other players were outstanding in their distribution - Sander Berge on 95.1% and Torbjorn Heggem on 94%. It points to the shift to a more easy-on-the-eye style Norway have undertaken over the years as in their previous two World Cup appearances (1994, 1998), no Norwegian player that attempted 30 or more passes in a match completed at least 90% percent of them.

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Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud says not winning the Premier League in his time with the club is the "only regret" of his career.

Giroud scored 105 goals in 253 appearances across five and a half years with the Gunners but, despite winning three FA Cups, could not help Arsene Wenger to a final Premier League title.

"We had a great team," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"We played amazing football but, in the end, it was too hard to win the Premier League. This is the only regret in my career, not to have won it. We were close in 2016 when Leicester won it - we could have won it but they were flying and we collapsed a little bit in March.

"The other years, other teams like Manchester City were too strong and we were not consistent enough. We were all frustrated at the time - that's why I was so proud and happy for them to win the league this year.

"I was so happy for them that they made it 22 years after the Invincibles and they won the league. It was a long wait but it's well deserved."

Giroud was a team-mate of Mikel Arteta from 2012 until the Spaniard's retirement from playing in 2016 and says it was clear the now Gunners boss would move into management.

"Such a hard worker," he added on Arteta. "I never knew him as a manager but when he was the captain he was the link between Arsene and the players.

"He was very professional, tactical, he tried to never leave anything to doubt. He wanted the team to be precise and was very demanding with himself and others.

"If you didn't do the recovery runs, he would scream at you. He was a leader in the team. I remember him as a strong character, always really focused. He is living the game with passion."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Arsenal have agreed personal terms with France midfielder Manu Kone but are yet to agree a fee with Roma, whose asking price for the 25-year-old is 50m euros (£43.2m). (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Tottenham have been encouraged to compete with Arsenal and Manchester City for Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, with Newcastle's asking price for the 26-year-old expected to be about £100m. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

The World Cup may be less than a week old but the 2026-27 Premier League fixtures will be released on Friday.

And to get in the mood, we want your stories of opening-day games that have stuck in your minds most - both the good and the bad.

Get in touch with your memories here

And make sure to come back to this page on Friday to see how Arsenal's league fixture list has fallen.

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

There has been a massive doubt over Bukayo Saka's fitness for this World Cup and Thomas Tuchel said last week that it would have to been managed throughout the tournament.

The forward has got Achilles tendinitis and if he does play in the opener against Croatia on Wednesday, it would probably be a gamble.

Some of the information we're getting is that it will be the same team that played against Costa Rica, so Saka's Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke would start on the right-hand side.

Madueke's value to this England set-up has gone up a notch because he's probably going to have to play more football than he would have envisaged.

Being able to bring someone of the calibre of Saka on to finish a game for you could be priceless for Tuchel.

Every manager who works with Bukayo Saka ends up saying the same thing: "We have to be careful."

During his time as England boss, Sir Gareth Southgate repeatedly talked about tailoring Saka's programme and avoiding unnecessary load.

In the 2023-24 campaign - the heaviest season of his career - Saka played 59 matches, logged 4,756 minutes and completed 26 full games.

It was also his most productive with 21 goals and 15 assists - numbers that placed him among Europe's elite wide forwards.

But the strain was visible. He was kicked, clattered, targeted and eventually, something gave - a hamstring tear that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta described as an "accumulation" injury.

Since then, the Gunners have taken a more measured approach, but the numbers still underline the scale of Saka's workload: 153 matches, 11,154 minutes and 61 full games across the past three seasons.

Now, Thomas Tuchel faces the same dilemma that confronted Southgate.

Saka is too important to leave out, too influential to rotate casually, and too valuable to run into the ground.

England do not need him to play every minute - they need him available for the right ones.

Image source, Getty Images

Bukayo Saka says winning the Premier League with Arsenal has given him "even more hunger" to achieve similar success with England at the World Cup.

The 24-year-old played 31 times as the Gunners ended their 22-year wait for a league title, and is expected to start for the Three Lions in Wednesday's Group L opener against Croatia.

"When you have that success and you taste it, you want to do it again," he told media.

"It can go two ways but when I speak for myself, you know, I'd say it's definitely made me want to do it again and come into this tournament with even more hunger."

Saka only started 25 Premier League matches across the campaign and had his minutes managed as he recovered from hip and Achilles issues during the run-in.

However, the winger believes this has given him a better chance of performing during the World Cup.

"I don't want to say anything that goes against the manager," he added.

"What I would say is that between Mikel [Arteta] and the Arsenal medical team and Thomas [Tuchel] and the England medical team, since March they have managed me amazingly and helped me get back on the pitch and do what I can for the team.

"I'm feeling better than I have felt in the last few months and I'm ready to go. I'm feeling a lot better than I did in March and I'm ready to go so I'm excited."

If Saka does need a rest during the tournament he will likely be replaced on the right wing by Gunners team-mate Noni Madueke, who he was full of praise for.

"It's quite unique, two players that play in the same position to be as close as we are," he added when asked about the dynamic between the pair.

"I don't really know how it works but it works. Noni is like my brother on and off the pitch. We push each other and we speak every day. We have that mutual respect for each other and we want each other to do well. The good thing is that we play on the same team and that if one of us is doing well it is good for the other."

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal are set-piece masters, and no club supplied more players for England's World Cup squad than the Gunners - so it is understandable that Thomas Tuchel will look to play to the Premier League champions' strengths.

Here in the United States, Mikel Arteta's dedication to perfecting Arsenal's routines is an approach England head coach Tuchel is looking to replicate.

In a tournament environment, when the margins can be so small, Tuchel is keen to take a leaf out of the Arsenal playbook that he admires, and has impressed on his players the importance of exploiting dead-ball situations.

Arsenal landed their first Premier League title in 22 years in May and were within a penalty shootout of winning their first Champions League.

With that level of success in mind, it is entirely understandable that set-pieces have emerged as a key focus in training sessions since England's arrival in the USA.

There are certainly experts in the field among Tuchel's likely starters.

Declan Rice is one of the most adept ball strikers in European football – his corners have proved a major threat for Arsenal, certainly in the previous two seasons.

You can expect Rice, who is guaranteed to start at the World Cup, to be one of England's designated specialists.

Chelsea's Reece James, who is expected to start the tournament as England's first-choice right-back, is another likely to be high on the list of Tuchel's takers.

The England boss knows all about James' abilities, having coached the defender during his time in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Bukayo Saka's dead-ball prowess is also viewed as a major asset by Tuchel, even if there is concern inside the England camp about having to manage the Arsenal forward through the start of the tournament with his ongoing tendonitis complaint.

The physical make-up of England's squad adds to the set-piece threat.

From the 10 outfield players that started against Costa Rica on Wednesday, just two - James and Elliot Anderson - are under 6ft tall.