New season, same old Arsenal? On an evening when Viktor Gyökeres was meant to announce himself as the solution to all of Mikel Arteta’s problems, instead it was a figure from Arsenal’s past who stole the show.
At £72m – £8m more than they may end up paying for the Sweden striker – Nicolas Pépé remains Arsenal’s record signing, a few months before Arteta replaced Unai Emery in 2019. Most of the fans who packed out the Emirates Stadium for this pre-season friendly will not have many fond memories of the Ivory Coast international’s spell in north London, but he clearly had a point to prove here.
Pépé’s early goal and strikes from Karl Etta Eyong and the former Tottenham loanee Arnaut Danjuma sealed an impressive win for Villarreal, and left Arteta with plenty of questions to resolve before Arsenal’s opening game of the season next weekend against Manchester United.
Gyökeres, who is the headline act of a spending spree that could exceed £200m, looked short of match fitness as he toiled up front for 62 minutes. Only the introduction of the 15‑year‑old Max Dowman for his first senior appearance at the Emirates Stadium could lift the mood as he won a penalty that allowed Martin Ødegaard to make the scoreline more respectable. But there were more reasons to be fearful for Arsenal’s fans as they aim to improve on finishing as Premier League runners-up for a third successive season.
There had been a sense of anticipation in the late summer air as they queued patiently at the club shop before kick‑off, with several already sporting Gyökeres’s new replica No 14 shirt. Having made his debut last week as a substitute against Spurs in their 1-0 defeat in Hong Kong, the Sweden striker is still playing catch‑up having stayed away from pre-season with Sporting as he attempted to force through his move. But he was included in a strong starting lineup, with Ethan Nwaneri deputising for Ødegaard alongside the new signing Christian Nørgaard and Mikel Merino in midfield.
Mikel Arteta (centre, in black) watches the penalty shootout against Villarreal. Photograph: John Walton/PA
The match programme featured pictures of all six of Arsenal’s summer arrivals on the cover, with Martín Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga on the bench. Arteta used his programme notes to express his belief they “will add quality and depth to the squad, which is what we are going to need throughout the season”.
Arteta added: “We know what our targets are and what we want to achieve this season – there is a big belief in our ability to achieve that. We have been very, very close the last few seasons and the whole team is going to determine whether we achieve that or not.”
It was Nwaneri, who has signed a new contract this summer, who caught the eye early on. A cross from Merino that was meant for the forehead of Gyökeres instead found Bukayo Saka at the back post and he could not direct the ball on target. But with only Gabriel Magalhães missing from his first-choice back four, Arteta will be concerned with how easily Villarreal established a 2-0 lead.
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Pépé, who joined Villarreal last year on a free transfer and is set to be joined by the former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey after he agreed an initial one-year deal, was unlucky when his shot came back off the post before he eventually forced the ball past David Raya when Arsenal failed to clear. The Spaniard was left fuming with his defence when Etta Eyong doubled the Spanish side’s lead just after the half-hour, although Nørgaard immediately pulled one back from a corner.
Like last season when they struggled from a lack of creativity, that seemed to be Arsenal’s best chance of scoring as Gyökeres was forced to live off scraps before the break. Mosquera and Zubimendi were summoned for the second half and there was an immediate improvement. Gyökeres finally had a sight of goal when played in by Merino but his shot was well saved by Luiz Júnior.
It needed Dowman, who has been hailed as a “special talent” by Arteta despite his tender years, to save some face after Danjuma had raced clear to make it 3-1, although Madueke missed the decisive penalty in a post‑match shootout.
