Arsenal are eager to get their hands on the first trophy of the ⁠new season when they face Manchester City in this weekend’s Community Shield, with manager Mikel Arteta saying on Friday ‌that his squad have returned refreshed and highly motivated.

Sunday’s traditional curtain-raiser will see Premier ‌League champions Arsenal take on FA Cup winners City ‌in Cardiff.

Arsenal, who lost last season’s Champions League final to Paris ‌Saint-Germain on penalties, aim to begin the campaign on ‌a positive note after ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League title.

“It (the Community Shield) is a trophy, one that we can have because ‌we earned it last year from winning the ⁠Premier League,” Arteta told reporters.


“You ‌can tell how hungry the players are, which is a good sign. ​I love the way the players have come back, most of them earlier than expected. Really fit, we’ve ​done all the testing. They all seem in great condition.

“The moment they start to look at each other, I said: look ⁠at the squad that ​we have and what we’re building. There’s a lot of excitement.

“The best version of Arsenal has to be on Sunday. That’s the intention. The best performance, the best way to start the ‌season by lifting the first trophy. That’s the way we’ve prepared for the season. On day one, be at our maximum level.”

Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has apologised to Nigerians and accepted responsibility after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Nigeria lost 2-1 to South Africa in the play-off. After a goalless first half, Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane scored for Banyana Banyana. Christy Ucheibe pulled one back from the penalty spot

“I am very sorry,” Madugu said during a post-match interview after the team’s disappointing exit, admitting that although the Falcons gave their best, it was not enough.

“We came, did the best that we could, but our best was not good enough, and we’re very sorry for that, and we take full responsibility for everything that happened.”

Madugu said the Falcons approached the game determined to win but were punished for failing to convert their chances and for making costly mistakes at the back.

“We had chances. Still, the conversion was another problem, and we made some little errors at the back. They capitalised on that, and they got the goals,” he said.

The coach said the defensive problems were largely the result of poor decision-making and lapses in concentration rather than sustained pressure from the opposition.

“We had the game under control,” Madugu said.

“Momentary loss of concentration and then trying to do something that was unnecessary always results in the kind of goals that we tend to concede.”

He admitted that the repeated defensive lapses had become a major concern, especially for a team that has traditionally been difficult to score against.

“All of a sudden, I don’t know, it could be complacency, it could also be, you know, sort of overconfidence, and then we end up making mistakes,” he said.

Madugu also acknowledged that Nigeria’s inability to finish chances proved costly.

“We have not been clinical. We create several chances, but we are very wasteful with the opportunities that always come our way,” he said.

According to him, the Falcons had enough opportunities to put the game beyond their opponents but failed to take advantage of them.

“This was a game we would have finished in the first half, based on the opportunities that we had, but we couldn’t utilise them,” Madugu added.

“How many chances did South Africa get? But because they were more clinical, they converted the chances that came their way. Today, they are the ones that won the match.”

On his tactical decisions and substitutions, Madugu defended the changes made during the game, explaining that some were forced by injuries.

He revealed that Debora had been playing through pain and repeatedly signalled that she needed to leave the pitch.

“She was in pain and kept giving signals that she wants to go out,” he said, adding that the player had to be protected to avoid worsening the injury.

Addressing calls for his dismissal on social media, Madugu said he understood the anger and disappointment among Nigerians.

“It’s within their right because I can understand the pains that everybody is going through,” he said.

Madugu added that he was prepared to accept whatever decision the football authorities eventually make about his future.

“As a coach, you must always live with the consequences of whatever it is that comes your way. I am not afraid of being sacked,” he said.

He pointed to his record with the team, saying he had managed almost 28 matches, winning 19, losing four and drawing four.

However, he acknowledged that the timing of the defeats mattered, particularly when they came at crucial stages.

“Nigerians… you are always judged as a coach based on your last result,” Madugu said.

Despite the disappointment, Madugu maintained that the team had prepared extensively and analysed its opponents before the match.

He said the Falcons had a clear game plan but failed to consistently execute it, with anxiety and individual mistakes ultimately proving costly.

“We said they do the same thing we’re going to do because now the normal trend everywhere,” he said, stressing that sticking to simple instructions could have prevented some of the problems.

With the World Cup dream now over, Madugu accepted that the team must learn from the painful outcome.

“If our best is not good enough, it’s not for me to decide what happens,” he said, while thanking Nigerians for the opportunity to lead the national team.

Galatasaray have reportedly turned down an offer for Victor Osimhen this summer as they try to sign Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli.

Brazil international Martinelli is subject of a verbal offer worth €45m (£38.5m) from the Turkish side, despite Arsenal’s valuation coming in at around £45M-£50M with just weeks remaining of the summer transfer window.

The BBC reported that Martinelli had tentative interest from Paris St-Germain in recent weeks but the European champions looked elsewhere as they are set to lose both Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye to Liverpool.

Now, as reported by Standard Sport, Galatasaray have rejected a €130m (£111m) offer from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal for Osimhen and have made it very clear that the Nigerian forward is not for sale.

Selling Osimhem would more than fuel the Martinelli deal and would leave the side with over £60M to invest in the side who are aiming to build up the squad who lifted the Super Lig last season.

However, reports state that Martinelli has no interest in joining Galatasaray and would prefer to stay in North London where a new contract offer is unlikely to come anytime soon.

Leandro Trossard was sold to Istanbul-based Besiktas for £17m earlier this summer as he joined Jakub Kiwior, Christian Norgaard and Karl Hein in players to have left the side.

Arsenal are said to be open to offloading Miles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Reiss Nelson, Gabriel Jesus and Portugal midfielder Fabio Vieira.