Bukayo Saka believes this is Arsenal's year to end Manchester City's reign over the Premier League, ahead of winless Southampton visiting the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Arsenal and City are the only unbeaten teams in the Premier League after six matchdays, with both taking 14 points to trail Liverpool by a single point at the summit.

Mikel Arteta's team secured a thrilling 4-2 win over Leicester City last week before seeing off Paris Saint-Germain by a 2-0 scoreline in the Champions League on Tuesday.

With many tipping Arsenal to again challenge City, particularly after the champions lost midfielder Rodri to a serious knee injury, Saka believes the Gunners have a golden opportunity.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year," Saka told CBS Sports after the win over PSG.

"I think we've been close the last two years and we're getting closer but this hopefully will be the year."

Speaking to Amazon Prime, the 23-year-old later added: "Previous years, I've come runners-up a lot. It's just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot.

"With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we're a top team. I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when teams are coming to the Emirates."

Southampton have taken just one point from six league games since winning promotion from the Championship, making this the joint-worst start to any league campaign in their history (also one point in the top flight in 1998-99).

They were beaten 3-1 by south coast rivals Bournemouth last time out on Monday, leading defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis to slam their performance levels.

"I think it's just about taking ownership as players, doing your bit and not going inside yourself, not playing a solo game," he said.

"It's just about sticking together... we cannot be 3-0 down with the quality and characters we've got in that group, we cannot be. That's obviously including myself."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Arsenal – Kai Havertz

One player who has particularly enjoyed turning out at the Emirates lately is Havertz, who netted against PSG on Tuesday and has also scored six goals in his last six league games on the ground. 

He has netted in four successive home Premier League games, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the last player to score in five straight for the Gunners, in September 2019.

Southampton – Aaron Ramsdale 

Former Gunners shot-stopper Ramsdale could become the ninth goalkeeper to face Arsenal in the Premier League after previously representing them in the competition.

Only one of the previous eight, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, has previously kept a clean sheet in his first such match, doing so in a 3-0 victory at the Emirates in November 2020.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Southampton have actually caused Arsenal problems lately, going unbeaten through the teams' last three Premier League meetings (one win, two draws), with both of their matches in 2022-23 finishing level – including a 3-3 draw at the Emirates.

However, Saints have visited Arsenal 24 times in the Premier League without ever tasting victory, drawing eight times and losing 16. That is the most any team has visited another in the competition without winning.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 28 home league games against Southampton since a 1-0 defeat in November 1987. Only against Fulham (a current run of 31) have they had a longer unbeaten home run in their league history.

Across 2024-25 and their relegation season in 2022-23, Southampton are now winless in 19 Premier League matches, drawing five and losing 14. Only once in their top-flight history have they endured a longer such run, going 20 games without a victory between August and December 1969.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 40 Premier League home games against promoted clubs, winning 35 and drawing five. Only Chelsea (43 between 2001 and 2015) and City (41 between 2007 and 2020) have had longer such runs in the competition's history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 78.5%

Southampton – 8.7% 

Draw – 12.8% 

Mikel Arteta insists the title fight between Arsenal and Manchester City will not affect his relationship with Pep Guardiola.

The sides played out a dramatic 2-2 draw in the Premier League last Sunday, with City snatching a last-gasp equaliser after 10-man Arsenal had staunchly defended throughout the second half.

Leandro Trossard was dismissed at the end of the first half, receiving a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, and Arsenal were accused of using the "dark arts" in their attempts to come away with three points.

The Gunners spent a total of nine minutes and four seconds on their goal-kicks in Sunday's match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season.

Meanwhile, the average delay at Arsenal restarts (goal-kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks) was 42.7 seconds, with only Aston Villa versus Wolves (47.3) taking longer this term.

Multiple City players have since criticised the tactics, with arguments also taking place on the pitch, but Arteta says his friendship with Guardiola would not suffer because of any on-pitch disagreements.

"I love him [Guardiola]. I respect him and admire him. I admire his team and everything he does," Arteta said.

"This is sport. One thing is our professional, another is my personal relationship. If that has to be damaged because we play against each other, then I wouldn't talk to him anymore!

"That's not the relationship I consider both of us have. Sport will never get in my way for a personal relationship, for sure."

Asked if the accusations aimed at Arsenal could affect it, Arteta added: "It depends. If it's true, but if it's not, and you show your integrity, do what you think is right, it doesn't have to.

"It's opinions. If you don't like them, you shouldn't be sitting where I am.

"It's simple, don't take it personally, make sure you handle the things you care about in the right way, and I really care about that relationship. It's the same as a lot of staff and players I've spent very important years of my life working with."

Arsenal are back in action against Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday. 

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal’s fixation on rectifying their near-miss in the Premier League last season is the difference for his players this time around.

After battling to a 2-2 draw against Manchester City last Sunday, the Gunners booked their place in the EFL Cup fourth round with an emphatic win over Bolton Wanderers, with several of their emerging talent starring at the Emirates.

Ethan Nwaneri and Jack Porter stole the limelight in midweek, with the former grabbing two goals on his senior Arsenal start, with Arteta also giving four more teenagers the chance to shine against the League One outfit.

But speaking ahead of this weekend’s fixture against Leicester, the Arsenal head coach believes his squad’s hunger to achieve this season is the difference when looking at the previous groups he has managed for the Gunners.

“Well, I think it’s the time in your career, you know that you start to dream, or to pursue certain objectives, targets and when you have accomplished them you want something else,” Arteta said.

“At that moment if the team, the club cannot provide that you need to do it elsewhere, it’s something natural, I think.

“I have all kinds of dreams, but it’s a nice one to have it’s a positive. What is a reality of a dream is the team I have that I have to manage.”

Leicester, meanwhile, needed penalties to ensure their progression in the EFL Cup against Walsall on Tuesday, with Danny Ward saving all three of the hosts’ spot-kicks.

While progressing to the next round, the travelling Foxes faithful made their opinions heard at the end of the contest, and their players face an almighty task of getting their first three points on the board at the Emirates on Saturday.

The Leicester head coach acknowledged the enormity of the task at hand, explaining he has lofty ambitions of his side reaching the level that was on show when the Gunners faced Pep Guardiola’s side last Sunday.

"It was an intriguing game for sure. They've played another game since, watched the game closely last night against Bolton Wanderers,” Cooper said.

“Our focus is on us, so we've got to do everything really well in the game.

“This is the level we want to be at, these are the games we want to be playing but we want to be playing them with the right attitude, with the right mentality, like I said, with the ambition of being able to succeed and If we can get the result that we're craving for then there's no better time."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Raheem Sterling

After marking his first start for Arsenal with a goal in the EFL Cup in midweek, Sterling will be pushing for a start against an opponent he has flourished against in recent years.

The 29-year-old has netted a brace in his last two Premier League appearances against the Foxes, one with Man City (December 2021) and one with Chelsea (August 2022).

Only three players have scored multiple goals against an opponent in a Premier League match with three different clubs – Robbie Fowler vs Bolton (Liverpool, Leeds, Man City), Darren Bent vs Bolton (Charlton, Tottenham, Sunderland) and Andrew Cole vs West Ham (Newcastle, Man Utd, Man City).

Leicester – Jamie Vardy

Vardy has started the season with two goals in five appearances, moving him eight goals away from scoring 200 goals for Leicester in all competitions.

But during his time in the Premier League, he has often loved coming against the Gunners. The veteran striker has scored 11 goals in 16 games against Arsenal, the joint-most he has netted against a single club in the competition alongside Watford.

MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal boasts an impressive record against this weekend’s opponents, winning their last five Premier League games against Leicester, their joint-longest winning run against the Foxes in their league history (also five between 1908 and 1914 and between 1930 and 1932).

The Gunners have also won 16 of their last 17 Premier League games against promoted sides, with the exception being a 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in May 2023. At home, the Gunners are unbeaten in 39 such games (W34 D5) since a 1-0 loss to Newcastle in November 2010.

But Arteta will be hoping for cooler heads upon their return to the Emirates. Arsenal have received six cards (four yellow and two second yellow) for either time-wasting or not retreating in the Premier League this season, two more than any other club.

Leicester, meanwhile, travel to the capital in hopes of improving their record in North London. The Foxes have won just one of their last 26 away league games against Arsenal (D4 L21), picking up a 1-0 victory in October 2020.

But since their return to the division, they have shown little signs that may change. Cooper’s side remain winless in their five Premier League games so far this season, drawing three and losing two. Only in their relegation campaign of 2022-23 have they gone six without a win from the start of the campaign in the competition.

But the Foxes have both scored and conceded in all five of their league games so far this season – only in their title winning campaign of 2015-16 have they had a longer such run from the start of a campaign in the competition (first nine).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 75.9%

Draw – 14.5%

Leicester – 9.6%

Ethan Nwaneri marked his first Arsenal start with a double as the Gunners swept aside League One side Bolton Wanderers 5-1 in the third round of the EFL Cup. 

While Nwaneri was one of the youngsters included in a line-up that featured 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter, it was one of Arsenal's senior players that opened the scoring at Emirates Stadium, with Declan Rice curling in from the edge of the area.

The Gunners doubled their advantage eight minutes before the break, with Nwaneri sliding home to net his first senior Arsenal goal after being found by Raheem Sterling.

Nwaneri netted his second of the contest soon after the restart, with the youngster capitalising on a mistake by Chris Forino before squeezing the ball under Luke Southwood. 

Mikel Arteta's side were however undone by a free-flowing counter-attack from the visitors as Aaron Collins raced clear, rounded Porter and coolly slotted home to give the travelling fans something to cheer.

But their celebrations were short-lived, with Sterling scoring his first Arsenal goal before substitute Kai Havertz rounded off the rout.

Data Debrief: A nod to the future

Prior to this game, Nwaneri had made just three appearances for Arsenal, but this performance showed that his future is bright.

The 17-year-old scored with both of his shots on target, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.67 to the Gunners' 2.95 total, with only Sterling (0.85) managing more. 

In his club career, Sterling has now started a game alongside players born 30 years apart – Jamie Carragher in 2012-13 (born January 1978) and Porter (born July 2008) – before he has turned 30 himself, and he will be delighted to have opened his Gunners account.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is focusing on returning to action as soon as possible and feels fortunate his injury is not worse than it is.

Odegaard injured his ankle while on Norway duty two weeks ago and has missed Arsenal's three matches since, including Wednesday's EFL Cup tie with Bolton Wanderers.

Mikel Arteta confirmed this week that the midfielder will be "out for a while", but no timeframe has been given for his recovery.

Addressing his lay-off for the first time, Odegaard admits he was scared by the severity of the damage when first sustaining the injury.

"It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football and now I'm just trying to recover as quickly as I can," he wrote in his programme notes for the Bolton tie.

"I'm moving forward, making progress and I'm feeling more positive every day. I'm  working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.

"I'm at the Sobha Realty Training Centre basically every day now, working hard and doing everything I can do to get better.

"I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible. 

"I'm trying to support the team in a different way now, if I can't be on the pitch. That's my situation, and I have to make the best out of it.

"It's something I’m not used to. I've been quite fortunate, if that’s the word, or have done well to avoid injuries in the past, but this is football and I have to get on with it. 

"I think it was unfortunate to get the injury in the way that I did, but also it could have been worse. It was not a nice twist, and when it happened I felt it could be serious. 

"I've injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That's what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit."

Odegaard started his side's opening three Premier League games and, while he has yet to register a goal or assist, he proved influential with five chances created - a tally only Bukayo Saka (eight) could better among Arsenal players.

Reports suggest the former Real Madrid player could return to action after the October international break, but the 25-year-old is himself still unsure how long he will be out.

"Like any player, the first thing I asked the medical team was how long I would be out for, but it's a bit tricky to say at the moment," he said. 

"In the early stages, it's crucial to get a proper rest and to make sure everything heals well. After that it’s about getting stronger and building it up again."

Arsenal follow up their EFL Cup third-round tie against Bolton with home games against Leicester City and Southampton in the Premier League, plus Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, prior to the international break.

Mikel Arteta joked he has told Arsenal's players to "play without the ball" after seeing Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard sent off for delaying restarts in recent weeks.

Arsenal were moments away from a famous win over Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday despite playing over half the game with 10 men, after Trossard received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.

However, John Stones' 98th-minute equaliser broke their resistance as they drew for the second time this term, having also drawn 1-1 with Brighton when Declan Rice saw red over a similar incident.

Arsenal's use of the "dark arts" has come in for criticism in the last few days, but Arteta has not warned his players against employing similar tactics in the future.

Asked if he had taken steps to avoid seeing another player dismissed for kicking the ball away, he said: "For passing the ball, you mean? 

"Just leave the ball. Don't touch the ball. We will play without the ball."

Asked if he had any new thoughts on Trossard's sending off, he said: "I reflected post-match, it's the same reflection today. It's the same answer. I was very clear about it."

Arsenal spent a total of nine minutes and four seconds on their goal-kicks in Sunday's match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season. 

Meanwhile, the average delay at Arsenal restarts (goal-kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks) was 42.7 seconds, with only Aston Villa versus Wolves (47.3) taking longer this term. The Gunners' average delay time of 41.1 seconds against Brighton is third on that list.

Arteta, though, insists his team had no choice but to play that way when a man down, rejecting assertions that Arsenal push the limits more than any other side.

"I always prefer facts rather than words, so let's see who's available tomorrow and then we can talk about dark arts or these things," he said.

"We had to play the game that we had to play. In the first 10 or 15 minutes, we couldn't, then we got much better. 

"We were thrown into a very different context. Every team does it. They played 30 seconds with 10 men, you look at what they did. We had to do it in a different way.

"We learned from the past as well because unfortunately we've been in that situation with them three times very recently. I would be very thick if we didn't learn from it."

Arsenal host Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, before taking on Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta confirmed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will be out "for a while" after suffering a significant ankle injury while playing for Norway.

The 25-year-old hobbled off during his country's Nations League 2-1 win over Austria in Oslo on September 9 and returned to London on crutches.

Odegaard missed Sunday's 1-0 derby victory against Tottenham and Arteta revealed the bad news on the midfielder ahead of Arsenal's opening Champions League game away to Atalanta.

"The scans showed that he's got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle," the Arsenal manager said on Wednesday.

"It's something quite significant so we're going to lose him for a while."

Arteta, whose side are second in the league and two points behind Manchester City, said he hoped it would not be months "but let's see".

Odegaard has become a key player for Arsenal, missing only a handful of games over the last three seasons, and a lengthy absence will come as a huge blow.

"He's our captain. He's been one of the biggest and best players in our team," continued Arteta.

"Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It's a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face."

Norway coach Stale Solbakken told VG newspaper he had been fully updated about the injury and was "preparing for a life without Martin".

"We have to take it week by week and day by day. Some types of damage go faster and some go slower," he said.

Jorginho has said the form of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is making him and his Arsenal team-mates laugh ahead of next weekend's meeting.

Haaland netted two more goals for City in Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium to maintain his side's perfect start.

That took the striker to nine goals across City's first four Premier League games this season - the most any player has scored in the competition's history at this stage.

Arsenal are the next side tasked with attempting to keep Haaland quiet in next weekend's showdown between the division's top-two sides.

Despite Haaland's superb form to begin the campaign, Jorginho insists Arsenal are unfazed heading into Sunday's battle in Manchester.

"Erling scoring again... it is starting to make us laugh," he said. "We look because we watch all the games and we love the Premier League.

"We watch [City] as well, which is normal. It doesn't get to our head. We need to focus on us and that is what we are trying to do."

Last season's runners-up Arsenal are two points behind early pacesetters City after winning three and drawing one of their opening four matches.

Mikel Arteta's men managed to grind out a 1-0 win in their North London derby with Tottenham at the weekend thanks to a Gabriel header.

Arsenal were without key midfield pair Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, owing to suspension and injury respectively, but still got the job done.

"You learn more about each other," said Jorginho, who replaced Rice in midfield. "Everyone wants to improve and wants the best for the team. 

"When you put the team in first place I think just good things can happen. Keep believing in what you are doing. I think we are on the right way."

Arsenal travel to Atalanta for their opening Champions League game on Thursday, but one eye is undoubtedly on the trip to City three days later.

"If you want to achieve big things you need to have the mentality of trying to win every single game," Jorginho said. 

"That is what we need to do and that is what we want to do. That is what we are trying to do. You need to keep in this way. 

"Keep believing in what you're doing. We are believing in what we are doing and we keep working hard to improve on what we need to improve."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was frustrated with the officials after watching his side draw 1-1 with Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium, having played the majority of the second half with 10 men.

Declan Rice was sent off for a second bookable offence after 49 minutes for delaying the restart from a Brighton free-kick, leaving Arteta to question the consistency of the referee's decision-making.

“If that happens throughout the game in a consistent way that’s fine,” he told TNT Sports in a post-match interview.

“But it didn’t happen. In the first half, there were a number of occasions where they kicked the ball away and nothing happened. 

“It’s inconsistency and it's in an area where it’s not critical. You made that call and you have to give a red card.

“If we have to play with 10, they have to play with 10 as well.”

Despite his annoyance at the red card, Arteta was able to find positives in the performance of his team.

Arsenal went 1-0 up after 38 minutes through Kai Havertz’s second goal of the season, before conceding a second-half equaliser following Rice’s dismissal.

“We started the game really good, created three or four big chances,” he said.

“We started the second half really good, had some good moments and momentum and obviously that decision changes the game completely.

“It was unbelievable the way the team reacted [after the goal] with 10 men, playing 48 minutes, we should have won the game.”

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, meanwhile, had a different opinion to his counterpart.

“It was a red card, he shoots the ball away. He was wasting time,” said Hurzeler in his post-match press conference.

“If Arsenal think otherwise, there are now two opinions.”

When asked about a similar incident in which Joao Pedro seemed to avoid punishment for kicking the ball away, Hurzeler suggested the two events were not like-for-like.

“You can’t compare the two situations,” he said.

“In football, two situations are never the same. I was booked because I was complaining about the tackle against Joel [Veltman] in the first half. We can accept it’s in the Premier League, it’s a yellow card, but I think no one can complain if the referee gives the red card.”

Brighton moved top of the Premier League after holding 10-man Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

Kai Havertz's first-half strike was cancelled out by Joao Pedro, while the hosts played most of the second half with a player less following Declan Rice's red card for two bookable offences.

The Gunners broke the deadlock seven minutes before half-time when Bukayo Saka outmuscled Lewis Dunk before teeing up Havertz, who lifted the ball into the empty net over the outrushing Bart Verbruggen.

However, Mikel Arteta's side were reduced to 10 men within four minutes of the restart, with Rice shown a second yellow card after he was deemed to have prevented the taking of a Brighton free-kick.

The Seagulls were level just nine minutes later when David Raya parried Yankuba Minteh's initial strike straight to Joao Pedro, who made no mistake from close range.

Fabian Hurzeler's side looked more likely to grab the game's decisive third goal as they dominated possession later on but, in the end, were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

Data Debrief: Saka matches Henry as Gunners' winning streak stalls

Arteta's side will count themselves fortunate to have taken a point from this contest, given they enjoyed just under 25% of the second-half possession at the Emirates - albeit a man light after the first red card of Rice's 245-match Premier League career.

The Gunners started well as they sought a ninth straight league win, and were deserving of their lead through Havertz's fourth goal in as many appearances against Brighton - and his seventh in nine home games.

His effort came after clever play from Saka, whose assist was his third in as many matches this term. The only Arsenal player to previously provide an assist in each of their opening three games of a Premier League season was a certain Thierry Henry in 2004-05.

Arsenal's new signing Mikel Merino is set to be out for several weeks after suffering a fractured shoulder in his first training session.

The midfielder, who joined from Real Sociedad in a £31.6million deal earlier this week, sustained the injury in a clash with Gabriel Magalhaes.

Merino had been expected to make his debut for the Gunners against Brighton on Saturday, but Mikel Arteta confirmed that would not be possible.

"Very unfortunate," Arteta told a news conference. "On Thursday, he had a collision, and he has a shoulder injury, unfortunately.

"It looks like he's going to be out for a few weeks. First session. He was really excited, and everything was looking really good.

"He landed on the floor and Gabi landed on top of him, and it looks like he has a small fracture, probably.

"We have to see [how long he is out for]. He was in so much pain. We'll have to do some more tests on that and then we'll have more conclusive answers."

Arsenal have also announced the signing of Neto on a season-long loan deal from Bournemouth following Aaron Ramsdale's departure to Southampton.

The goalkeeper started the Cherries' first two Premier League games of the season, making 11 saves and conceding just twice.

In 63 appearances for Bournemouth in all competitions, he kept 13 clean sheets and helped them to a 12th-place finish in the top-flight last season.

Arsenal have announced the signing of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad on a four-year contract.

The midfielder has joined in a deal worth up to £31.6million, with the option to extend his stay for an extra year.

Merino is returning to the Premier League, having signed for La Real from Newcastle United in 2018.

He made 242 appearances for the Spanish side in all competitions, scoring 27 goals and registering 30 assists.

Last season, he won 326 duels, the most of any player in the top five European Leagues, while his 197 recoveries in LaLiga were the most of any outfield player for La Real.

"Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility," Mikel Arteta said of his new signing.

"He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now. Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.

"As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament. We are delighted to welcome Mikel and his family to the club and can't wait to start working with him."

Merino is the fourth signing by Arsenal during this transfer window, after Tommy Setford, Riccardo Calafiori, and the permanent move for David Raya.

Unai Emery believes Arsenal was a "test" for Aston Villa to understand where they are in the season and how they can build on that going forward.

Second-half strikes from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey earned the points for Arsenal in a 2-0 win at Villa Park on Saturday.

However, it could have been a much different story for Emery's men, as Ollie Watkins missed a glorious chance in either half, while Amadou Onana struck the bar.

While the Spaniard was left frustrated by the result, he was left optimistic by the performance in their first home game of the season.

"You have to accept Arsenal they are more experienced, more mature. They are strong," Emery told Sky Sports. "Today was a test for us to understand who we are.

"We competed, we faced them, we could have won, drawn or lost. I think it's going to give us a lot of information about the team, the squad and players and how we can close this week in the transfer window and finish this month playing Leicester.

"I think the way we played today will be a good way to understand how we can process our style, our competitive way.

"We created three very good chances, like them, but our chances were more clear. We competed like we could do; I have to be proud of the players. We have to keep building. Not the result but the way we did [play] this is what we want."

Watkins fired a close-range effort wide in the first half before being denied by a wonderful save by David Raya in the second when he tried to turn in the rebound of Onana's strike.

The England international is yet to score this season, having failed to manage a single shot in their opener against West Ham, but Emery maintains his confidence in the striker to get back to the form that saw him net 19 goals last season.

"The most important thing is to create chances, of course, he is not finishing them all, but I am very happy how he progressed from the first match at West Ham," the Spaniard added.

"His progress has been performing better and creating chances. Ollie Watkins, chances like that in the future, he will score."

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka were the goalscorers as Arsenal started the new Premier League season with a routine 2-0 victory over Wolves at Emirates Stadium.

Germany international Havertz had the home fans on their feet midway through the first half thanks to a fine assist from Saka in sunny north London on Saturday.

David Raya had to make a brilliant save to deny Jorgen Strand Larsen a debut Wolves goal midway through the first half.

Havertz and Thomas Partey went close for the hosts after the break before a revival from the visitors should have seen parity restored when Matheus Cunha shot straight at Raya after pouncing on a poor misplaced pass from William Saliba.

The brilliant Saka then ensured there would be no misstep to start a campaign in which Arsenal are looking to go one better than a second-place finish last term when he stepped inside Rayan Ait-Nouri on the right of the box and fired past Jose Sa at his near post.

Data Debrief: Gunners pick up where they left off

Arsenal were agonisingly pipped to the title by Manchester City last season but have now won seven straight Premier League games, having gone on a streak of eight from January 20 to March 9 earlier this year.

Moreover, they have now scored in each of those matches - their best run since netting in nine from December 31 to March 9.

Havertz is off the mark early for Arsenal and has two goals and two assists from his last three appearances in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta has hinted at Arsenal's transfer plans as he aims to "upgrade" the squad ahead of the next Premier League season.

The Gunners finished as runners-up behind Manchester City in the previous two seasons, missing out on the final day last year as they finished just two points shy of the champions.

While they were closer to the Citizens last term – they won the same number of games as City and matched their goal difference of 62 – Arteta acknowledged they needed to bring in new additions to help mount another title challenge.

"We have to [improve]," said Arteta. "When you are so close you want to grab it.

"Perfection in this league requires different standards when you relate that word to winning the Premier League and that is what we have to do.

"We need to upgrade in everything we are doing. We have to improve in every area and that is what we are trying to do."

Riccardo Calafiori is expected to join the club from Bologna, who he helped to qualify for the Champions League, with Arsenal edging closer to a deal for the defender.

Although Arteta said he had "no update" on when the Calafiori deal could be done, he stressed the club were aiming to make strides in the transfer market.

"I don't know if anyone will join us [for the pre-season tour]," Arteta added.

"There is still a lot of time left in the window and, while that is more a question for the board, obviously, we know there are certain positions that we want to improve and give the squad better resources in terms of numbers, but the main thing is to focus on falling in love with the players we have."

"Obviously, we know there are certain positions that we want to improve and give the squad better resources in terms of numbers where we are short.

"We will try our best, but the main thing is to focus on falling in love with the players we have and make them better."

Arsenal will face Bournemouth, Manchester United and Liverpool during their pre-season tour of the USA before beginning their Premier League campaign against Wolves on August 17.