It won’t be too long until Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team are back at the Sobha Realty Training Centre as they plan for the 2025/26 campaign. As we are now in June, the players will have around a month left in terms of their time off before they return to the training base in early July.
Arsenal face a huge summer as they attempt to collect some silverware after last winning the FA Cup back in 2020. The Gunners once again finished second in the Premier League table, with Liverpool this time winning the crown after Manchester City’s fall from the top of the pile.
Arsenal just couldn’t get beyond the semi-finals in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup as eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United knocked them out respectively. In the FA Cup, Arsenal exited at the first time of asking as Manchester United won on penalties in the third round at the Emirates Stadium.
Now given a fresh start with the new season set to get underway in August, Arsenal are already planning notable changes on the transfer front. Midfielder Martin Zubimendi is on course to join in a move from Spanish side Real Sociedad after wowing in La Liga.
This summer should hopefully see the club finally bring in a new striker after failing to do so last term. It would appear that RB Leipzig hotshot Benjamin Sesko will be the incoming striker amid a lot of talk regarding Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres.
Once those two transfers are completed, Andrea Berta and Arsenal still have plenty to do in the transfer market as they look to give Arteta the best possible squad to go and really attack the season. So when exactly could we see Sesko, Zubimendi and possibly some further new signings wearing the red of Arsenal in a game for the first time?
As things stand right now, the first opportunity any new signings would have to make their Arsenal debut comes in July as part of the club’s pre-season tour of Asia. Having previously headed to the United States over the past few summers, Arsenal will this time be playing matches in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Singapore is the club’s first port of call, with a friendly match against AC Milan at Singapore National Stadium in the calendar for Wednesday, July 23. Arsenal then host Newcastle United at the same stadium four days later, before concluding their tour of the Far East with a North London Derby against Tottenham at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on Thursday, July 31.
Arsenal only have three pre-season games pencilled in at present but you would imagine another one or two fixtures are added to their schedule. After all, they have played five warm-up matches in each of the past three pre-seasons.
The Gunners have previously spent some time at the adidas training centre in Germany and played FC Nurnberg ahead of going on tour. However, that was not the case last year with Euro 2024 taking place in the country.
Arsenal also traditionally host the Emirates Cup at their home stadium the week before the Premier League gets underway. Again, the club have not yet announced any plans regarding this but it will be something fans will be keeping a close eye on.
As things stand right now, Sesko and Zubimendi, providing of course that they both sign on the dotted line, could potentially make their Arsenal debuts in the friendly against AC Milan in Singapore. That could change, however, if another friendly is added to their calendar ahead of that fixture. All will become clear in the weeks ahead.
