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Mikel Arteta appeared to send a strong signal over the futures of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri after leaving all three out of his Arsenal squad for the Community Shield. With Arsenal leading Manchester City 2-0 in the first half at the time, the unexpected exclusions came amid growing speculation that the trio could leave the club before the transfer window shuts.

Transfer speculation grows around absent Arsenal trio

Arteta did not include Martinelli, Jesus or Nwaneri in the 20-man group for Sunday’s season-opening clash against Manchester City. As the Gunners held a comfortable 2-0 lead in the first half of the match, the Evening Standard reported that the absence of the three players was closely connected to uncertainty surrounding their futures.

Galatasaray have made a £38 million offer for Martinelli, though the forward is not interested in a move to Turkey. At the same time, Napoli are in discussions to sign Jesus, who could depart for around £17m. Nwaneri too has drawn interest from a number of clubs, with Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta working on possible solutions.

Nwaneri needs consistent game time

While Martinelli and Jesus are both facing uncertain situations, the case of Nwaneri stands out in particular because of his impressive performances during pre-season. The teenage midfielder travelled with the squad to Cardiff before ultimately being omitted from the matchday group. Arteta spoke about the matter in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“Ethan needs to play football,” Arteta said. “If he stays here, it's because we can guarantee that he can have those minutes. Otherwise, it's just something that is not good for anybody, I think.” Arsenal are reportedly weighing up either sending Nwaneri out on loan or selling him with a buy-back clause so that he can get the regular minutes he needs.

New signings feature as England stars are rested

In spite of the high-profile absentees, Arsenal supporters were able to watch new signings Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, both of whom started the match and helped the side establish their 2-0 first-half lead.

Arteta spoke positively about the new additions. “Christos came early so that always helps. Bruno joined us last week. He's in good condition and we know what he will bring to the team,” he said. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, meanwhile, were named on the bench. Arteta added: “It is something very individual. Declan played over 65 games; he needed complete rest and we have to build him up. They remain so competitive. They wanted to be involved and that's good to see as well.”

What next for Arsenal?

As Arsenal aim to see out the rest of the Community Shield comfortably and lift the trophy, the club have only a limited amount of time to sort out possible exits for Martinelli, Jesus and Nwaneri. Arteta will also need to keep his squad fully focused on the upcoming Premier League season, while moving on fringe players and smoothly bedding in the club’s latest signings.