Arsenal open pre-season with 4-1 win over Girona as Tzolis scores on debut and Arteta vows more transfers

Match recap

Arsenal began their public pre-season with a 4-1 victory at Girona's Estadi Montilivi on Saturday. Kai Havertz opened the scoring in the 16th minute, latching onto a threaded pass from 16-year-old Max Dowman and finishing calmly past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. New signing Christos Tzolis doubled the lead on the half-hour mark, skipping beyond Arnau Martinez and firing a low shot that took a slight deflection into the bottom corner. Girona, now preparing for life in Spain's second division after relegation, pulled one back four minutes after the break when Martinez headed in from a corner. Arsenal responded swiftly: Dowman restored the two-goal cushion three minutes later, though home fans protested as a Girona player lay injured during the build-up. Gabriel Jesus then made it 4-1 shortly after, pouncing on a loose ball that ricocheted into the box following a Ben White challenge.

Six Girona players who faced Arsenal in the 2024-25 Champions League group stage featured again, but the hosts could not contain the Premier League champions' second-half burst.

World Cup returnees get half-hour runout

Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres and Piero Hincapie, all eliminated in the World Cup round of 32, rejoined the squad last weekend and were given exactly 33 minutes each in a pre-planned triple substitution. Arteta deployed Havertz in a deeper role with licence to make surging off-the-ball runs beyond Gyokeres, a combination that produced the opener. Gyokeres was less involved but the manager is expected to rotate the pair as the season approaches. Hincapie, whose loan move was made permanent earlier in the summer, slotted into the backline.

Transfer ambitions

After the match, Arteta stressed that Arsenal will remain active in the market. The club has already signed Tzolis for €40 million (£34m) from Club Brugge, made Hincapie's loan permanent, and added goalkeeper Illan Meslier on a free transfer from Leeds United. Arteta wants a left winger, with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior the top target, a central midfielder, and a centre-back to cover William Saliba's injury. Bruno Guimaraes has told Newcastle United he wants to join Arsenal, though an initial offer of under £60 million was rejected.

“We are really active, trying to improve and evolve the team. That's clear. We expect to have movements in the next three weeks obviously because we want to get better like anybody else. You can just see the transfer market and what our opponents are doing. We won't sit still. We are very ambitious in where we want to go.”

Arteta added that the margins are small and the squad needs greater internal competition to stay ahead. Arsenal won the Premier League title in May and reached the Champions League final, losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.

What's next

Arsenal continue their pre-season against Real Betis in Dublin on 5 August, followed by home friendlies against Borussia Dortmund on 9 August and Como on 12 August. Girona, relegated from La Liga last term, are rebuilding for the Spanish second division.