Arsenal pre-season tracker: Viktor Gyokeres opens Gunners account in Emirates Cup win over Athletic Club as Martin Zubimendi shines
Published 10/08/2025 at 10:20 GMT+1
Arsenal capped off their pre-season campaign with an Emirates Cup win against Athletic Bilbao as Viktor Gyokeres grabbed his first goal for The Gunners. The victory was in resonse to a defeat against Villarreal, after wins over AC Milan, Newcastle United and a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Mikel Arteta's side begin their Premier League campaign on Sunday, August 17, against Manchester United.
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Viktor Gyokeres scored his first goal for Arsenal as they beat Athletic Club 3-0 to win the Emirates Cup in their final pre-season friendly.
The Swedish striker showed flashes of what could come this season, as he met a Martin Zubimendi cross to open the scoring with a fierce header.
He played 71 minutes ahead of Arsenal's Premier League opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, August 17, while Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz were also on target for The Gunners.
The victory at Emirates Stadium followed defeats to Villarreal and Tottenham Hotspur, after they triumphed over AC Milan and Newcastle United in Asia.
Alongside Zubimendi and Gyokeres, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera and Noni Madueke all made their debuts for the club after signing this summer.
Arguably the highlight of Arsenal's pre-season campaign was the introduction of 15-year-old starlet Max Dowman, who impressed highly when brought off the bench for Mikel Arteta's side.
Earlier in pre-season, Gyokeres made his Arsenal debut off the bench on July 31 as The Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat against north London rivals Tottenham on their tour of Asia.
Pape Sarr's long-range strike late in the first half proved the difference in the pre-season encounter, played in Hong Kong.
The second half saw Gyokeres, fellow summer signing Mosquera and teenage sensation Dowman all make an appearance, though the trio could not prevent their new side falling to a narrow loss.
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Outrageous Sarr goal sees Spurs beat Arsenal in Hong Kong
Video credit: SNTV
Arsenal had kicked off their pre-season with a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Singapore, followed by a 3-2 win over Newcastle United, with Martin Odegaard's late penalty sealing victory after a Mikel Merino strike and an Alex Murphy own goal in the first half.
Arsenal also lost to Villarreal in normal time and in a penalty shoot-out in which Madueke missed from the spot, but he made up for it in the shoot-out against Athletic Club.
The Gunners face a tough start to the new season with a trip to Man Utd on the opening weekend, so their pre-season preparations will be key to getting them fit and ready.
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Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
| Match | Date and time |
| Arsenal v AC Milan (1-0) | Wednesday, July 23, 12:30 UK time, Singapore |
| Arsenal v Newcastle United (3-2) | Sunday, July 27, 12:30 UK time, Singapore |
| Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (0-1) | Thursday, July 31, 12:30 UK time, Hong Kong |
| Arsenal v Villarreal (2-3) | Wednesday, August 6, 18:00 UK time, London |
| Arsenal v Athletic Club (3-0) | Saturday, August 9, 17:00 UK time, London |
Arsenal's pre-season squad
Goalkeepers: David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Tommy Setford, Alexei Rojas.
Defenders: William Saliba, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Josh Nichols, Marli Salmon, Cristhian Mosquera
Midfielders: Martin Odegaard, Christian Norgaard, Mikel Merino, Sambi Lokonga, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Louie Copley.
Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri, Reiss Nelson, Kai Havertz, Ismeal Kabia, Max Dowman, Andre Harriman-Annous, Viktor Gyokeres.
What has the manager said?
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was delighted with his team's display following their 1-0 win over AC Milan in their pre-season opener.
"It's good, winning and a clean sheet as well, overall a very good performance, a very consistent performance throughout the game," he told the club's website.
"We had a lot of changes, we’ve seen the players are playing at a very high level.
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"A big joy as well to watch so many young kids playing at 15, 16, 17 years old performing at that level, overall, very good."
Speaking before the start of the pre-season tour, Arteta expressed his desire for the club to bring in more players ahead of the new campaign.
"In terms of numbers, we are short and we have to improve the depth and quality of the squad," he told reporters. "We are constantly looking in the market.
"Until that happens, [we] focus on the players we have - and I'm very pleased with what I have seen in the last 10 to 15 days."
After the 3-2 win over Newcastle, Arteta gave his thoughts on the addition of Gyokeres.
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"We are super happy to have Viktor with us, it's been a long journey to get him over here," he said.
"He's been incredible, he was very clear from the beginning where he wanted to play and how passionate I felt from him from day one when we first spoke.
"You can see the boys, you can see the environment as well, very excited with his arrival."
After Gyokeres and Mosquera made their debuts against Tottenham, Arteta said: "I'm really happy to have them here. I think they are going to add a lot of value. You see straight away the energy and the quality they are going to bring.
"It was a short one but at least that one is over now and when they play against Villareal now, I’m sure it will be different."
Following victory in their final pre-season test, Arteta spoke of his new signings Zubimendi and Gyokeres.
"The quality of the delivery from Zubi, absolutely top," he said. "I think he was incredible today, the way he played throughout the game and for Viktor as well to get out that first goal I think is very, very important psychologically.
"Again, he was involved in a lot of very important actions in the game. Kai came in and scored an incredible goal as well. So, I'm very happy with the team today."
What have the players said?
Summer signing Zubimendi appears to be settling in nicely at his new club and the midfielder credited Arteta's influence behind his decision to join the Premier League side.
"I don't know what he saw in me, but I saw him as one of the top coaches in Europe," Zubimendi told reporters.
"At the end of the day, I wanted a quality coach when I left Real Sociedad. I think I've found him.
"In the few days I've been here, I've seen how meticulous he is about every aspect of the game, so I think he's the one."
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CARTAGENA, SPAIN - JULY 14: Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal during a training session at La Manga Club on July 14, 2025 in Cartagena, Spain. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
When quizzed about the club's desire to finally get over the line next season, he explained: "The most important thing about this club is that they learn from previous seasons.
"I think the lessons they've learned from how last season ended will be key to getting even closer to this year's targets.
"Ultimately, I believe that football comes down to details, especially in the Champions League.
"I feel that Arsenal were the only team in that semi-final who truly stood up to PSG [Paris St-Germain], and they let it slip because of minor details."
Declan Rice, meanwhile, insisted Arsenal would "push for big things" in the upcoming season, despite a pre-season loss to rivals Spurs.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice: "It's been really, really special coming to Hong Kong. Thank you so much [to the fans] for your support. Even though we lost, we love you guys.
"It's been an incredible trip, we've really felt the love and that's pushed us on.
"We lost tonight, but we have another game on Wednesday, it's still pre-season, and we're going to push for big things this season."
Following the conclusion of the Athletic Club victory, Zubimendi reflected on his first taste of wearing an Arsenal shirt.
"It was very easy - the team made it very easy for me," he said. "I think the rest of the team have integrated very well, I think the people on and off the pitch are very friendly.
"[Rice and Odegaard] are top players, the best in their position. It's time to learn, adapt and enjoy it above all.
"It was an important game because we came from two defeats. It's true that they were friendlies, but this club doesn't understand defeats in any context, so it was an important game to win and start the pre-season with a good feeling."
New signings watch
Kepa, Norgaard and Zubimendi all made their debuts for the club in their 1-0 victory over AC Milan.
Kepa and Zubimendi were introduced in the second half and enjoyed their first 45 minutes with the north London outfit, while Norgaard was involved from the start, partnering Declan Rice in midfield.
Although Saka stole the headlines with the winning goal and 15-year-olds Dowman and Marli Salmon impressed on their debuts, the new boys were needed in the penalty shoot-out after the friendly.
Zubimendi slotted away his spot-kick while Kepa showed why he could turn out to be the perfect goalkeeper for cup competitions after saving three penalty kicks.
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Kepa Arrizabalaga made three saves in the shoot-out against AC Milan.
Image credit: Getty Images
Following the friendly, Arteta was delighted with the way the signings had adapted to their new surroundings.
"I think they adapted really quickly, really fast," he explained.
"It’s an incredible group of players that we have and they’ve made them feel straightaway very welcome and you can tell, they were very loose, very relaxed, very confident in everything that they did and, again, a very positive performance."
During the victory over Newcastle, Zubimendi made his first start in midfield alongside goalscorer Merino, while Kepa and Norgaard made their second appearances off the bench.
Mosquera and Gyokeres, meanwhile, made a short cameo towards the end of Arsenal's defeat to Tottenham, though Arteta suggested they may receive more minutes in the next game against Villarreal.
With Mosquera and Gyokeres settling into the team, defender William Saliba feels the goalscoring prowess of the latter could steer Arsenal to the title this season.
"We know how good he is, it's scary to play against him," the Frenchman said. "Of course, I'm so happy to have him in my club and I'm sure that he will help us to win games and win trophies.
"[He is scary] because when you face a striker who scores goals, you have to be focused! But now he's in our team and he will score for us, so that's good.
"Every year is different. We have to learn from the last three seasons. Of course, we are lucky to have a chance to compete in the Premier League again to try to win.
"Our mindset is to win the Premier League and we will give everything from the first game. We have a lot of new players and they will hopefully help us to win this league."
Madueke finally made his Arsenal debut after his extended break, coming off the bench in defeat to Villarreal. He stepped up for a penalty in the following shoot-out, but saw his effort saved.
He also came off the bench against Athletic Club, and this time, slotted his penalty home in the friendly shoot-out.
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