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New Arsenal transfer priority clear after Dortmund mess as Gabriel boost emerges

· Ryan Taylor · 2026-08-09 · nguồn gốc

New Arsenal transfer priority becomes clear after Dortmund mess as Gabriel boost emerges ARSENAL 2-3 BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Mikel Arteta's Premier League champions were back home for the first time since they won the title last season but their latest friendly ended in a defeat It's fair to say Arsenal's pre-season is not going entirely to plan. It's now back-to-back defeats for the Gunners following wins over MK Dons and Girona, respectively. What's more concerning is the Premier League champions have now conceded six goals in their past two friendlies despite naming a relatively strong defence. They were 2-0 down at half-time against Borussia Dortmund on their return to the Emirates Stadium but did pull a goal back from sub Ethan Nwaneri. Instead of kicking on and levelling, Arsenal then conceded again from a set-piece as Joane Gadou netted a scrappy goal to restore BVB's two-goal cushion. The Gunners did respond via a Viktor Gyokeres' penalty but the erratic nature of this friendly will leave Mikel Arteta with arguably more questions than answers. Here are some talking points or moments you may have missed from the Emirates. FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page Arsenal need defensive transfer If Arsenal didn't already know they needed to sign defensive cover (they did, in fairness), then they certainly will do now. During the first half their backline was a mess, to put it kindly. There was actually a fitting image of Gabriel Magalhaes looking around after Dortmund's opener because he did not know who was responsible. It was a well-worked goal containing several quality passes and touches but Arsenal were disjointed and exposed, which doesn't happen often. It has during pre-season, though. It was tough to decipher whether this was just ring rust or a warning as to just how much they will miss William Saliba despite the promise of Cristhian Mosquera. Jurrien Timber is still not fit and was not on the bench. An injury to Ben White and Arsenal will be down to bare bones. It's something they must address before the transfer window closes and on the back of this performance and Real Betis, they likely will. They need a versatile player that can provide cover and competition at both centre-back and right-back. It's a tough market but it's something Andrea Berta will have to tackle. Havertz in warsArsenal missed Kai Havertz dearly at various stages of last season. While they may feel tempted to wrap him in cotton wool, they really need him fit and firing this term. Havertz is just one of those players that seems to get poor luck with injuries and there were two nervy first-half moments where he was visibly in pain. He got a kick in the calf early doors on the far side of the pitch before he was rocked by a strong aerial challenge from Jobe Bellingham. Thankfully, the German was fine on both occasions and he continued to look threatening going forward, linking up well with Viktor Gyokeres. Havertz was getting agitated throughout the game and had several moments where he was evidently frustrated, not least when he thumped the ball at international colleague Felix Nmecha. Gabriel gets set-piece threat boost Christos Tzolis has already shown huge glimpses of what he's capable of from dead-ball situations. He assisted against Real Betis (he's now got one goal and three assists in three Arsenal outings) and his delivery was bang on the money here against Dortmund. In the first half, Arsenal had a free-kick just to the side of the box and while Tzolis stood over it, Gabriel raced over to get a message across. He asked Tzolis to hang the ball up towards the back stick and that's what he did as Gabriel powered his header over. Declan Rice's set-piece delivery has always been a huge weapon but when Rice isn't on the pitch, Arsenal now have Tzolis to swing them in. It's great news for Gabriel, who will feel he might just be able to add even more goals to his tally. Karetsas dazzlesArsenal won't be shocked at the sight of Karetsas bending home a stunner for Borussia Dortmund's second. He was monitored by the Gunners last summer as a big-potential prospect but he ended up remaining at Genk before signing for BVB this summer. The Greek teen, who displayed great control and dribbling ability, certainly looks a major talent. Arsenal new boy Christos Tzolis may have been the bigger Greek star in the Jupiler Pro League last term but you can't help but feel Dortmund's deal for Karetsas will seem them overturn huge profit in the coming years. He's a nimble and direct wide forward with end product and those qualities are a rarity for a player of Karetsas' age (18). Arteta's anger after Gyokeres' penalty Although it may have only been a friendly, Mikel Arteta was looking to instill good habits. After Gyokeres slotted home his penalty, the Spaniard was angered by the lack of urgency to retrieve the ball and place it back on the spot. Not one Arsenal player attempted to grab it - as they would if trailing in a competitive match -because friendlies often have a relaxed feel. But Arteta made sure to let several Arsenal players know, including Gyokeres and Piero Hincapie, that he felt they should have hurried up the restart. The Spaniard is a perfectionist and small actions like this irk him.