Arsenal tasted defeat for the first time this summer on Wednesday, as they were beaten 2-1 by Brentford in a behind-closed-doors friendly at London Colney.
Having rounded off their pre-season tour of America with a comprehensive and thoroughly impressive 4-0 dismantling of Chelsea, hopes are high that the Gunners can finally crack the top four. That win over the Blues came on the back of victories against Nurnberg, Everton and Orlando City, with Gabriel Jesus the pick of Mikel Arteta’s players.
The Brazilian wasn’t involved against the Bees however, as a team of fringe players fell to their Premier League rivals. Finn Stevens opened the scoring for Thomas Frank’s side, before Eddie Nketiah notched another goal in a hugely encouraging summer- bringing his tally to five.
Summer signing Marquinhos then came close to putting the hosts in the front, before Ryan Trevitt restored Brentford’s lead shortly before the break. The Gunners then had several chances in the second half, but were unable to find an equaliser, losing for the first time since the end of last season.
Arteta used the match as an opportunity to give several members of his squad a run-out, including the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson, who may find minutes difficult to come by when the competitive stuff gets underway next week.
The Arsenal boss did opt to leave out goalkeeper Bernd Leno, central defender Pablo Mari and right-back Hector Bellerin as they all seemingly close in on transfer exits. Leno’s departure appears a nigh-on certainty at this point, having lost the battle for the No.1 jersey to Aaron Ramsdale last term.
The arrival of Matt Turner now means Ramsdale has a capable understudy with the path cleared for the German international to make a move away from the Emirates. Fulham have been leading the race for his services for the entire window, but Leicester have now emerged as late competition.
The Foxes look set to be in the market for a keeper following the news that Kasper Schmeichel has agreed to join Nice, although his exit will only be sanctioned when a replacement is sourced. It’s believed the Gunners are holding out for around £8million for Leno, with the club’s full focus now on shifting out some of the deadwood within the squad.
Bellerin is another player keen to engineer a move this summer, the Spaniard spent last season on loan with Real Betis and is desperate to return to his boyhood club. However, at this point the LaLiga side are unable to afford wages and need to clear the decks before bringing the Spain international back to Seville.
Mari appeared during pre-season, but looked well below the standard required during a chastening first half against Orlando City. The 28-year-old has fallen down the pecking order in recent times and Turkish giants Fenerbahce are said to be leading the race.
Their sales may not be simple though, technical director Edu has already warned fans that this process promises to be a difficult one. "It's not easy," he recently admitted. "But it's part of our job.
"We try to create an opportunity for the player. For me, the most important thing is to make the player understand why he is here or why he needs to go. And then we have to create some possibilities with the player's agent and find the best possible solution."
