🚨 Martinelli scores in Arsenal win, golazos in 4-4 UCL thriller, Liverpool eye Barcelona star, Chelsea targeting Real Madrid midfielder, & more

Sep 17, 2025

Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing! Thanks as always for reading, and hope you enjoy :-)

Today’s top stories:

What an impact by Gabriel Martinelli as he gave Arsenal the lead just 36 seconds after coming off the bench! He later set up the second for Leandro Trossard to wrap up all three points for the Gunners. FT Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Mikel Arteta on Martinelli: “Fully deserved it. I adore Gabi; his attitude, his commitment, his positivity, what he's willing to do for the team. Externally, we certainly value all the qualities that he has, and he brings to the team, and I'm so happy that today he was important in the two actions.” (Press conference)
Still, it wasn’t all positives for Arsenal as Thierry Henry had some very harsh words for Viktor Gyokeres and a wasted opportunity in the first half. Full story here!

Nicolas Jackson: “When Bayern call and say they want you, you don't think twice. You're simply excited and ready to join them. I always believed the move would go through. I was excited by the idea of joining Bayern, such a historic institution in football.” (Bild)
Vincent Kompany on Jackson: “It was a good training but his personality fits well with the team. He’s a good person and my wish is that he will score a lot of goals but he will not be put under pressure from my side.” (Press conference)
Bayern director Max Eberl on Dayot Upamecano’s contract: “Talks are taking place… in French. Tres bien. I don’t know any more French than that. That’s why we haven’t made any progress yet [laughs].” (AZ)

What a stunning finish this was by Felix Nmecha - how unlucky were Borussia Dortmund not to come away with the win in this crazy game? FT Juventus 4-4 Borussia Dortmund [Pictures from TNT Sports]

Chelsea have now added Facundo Buonanotte to their Champions League squad after the long term injury suffered by Dario Essugo. (Fabrizio Romano)
Chelsea are stepping up their interest in signing Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace, with the Blues possibly set to make a bid for the England international in January. (TEAMtalk)
Chelsea are prepared to make Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga a top target for 2026. (Fichajes)

What a sublime strike this was by Kenan Yildiz! He’s been in fine form recently amid transfer interest from Chelsea, and he really delivered on the big stage with this finish to make it 1-1!

And in a game of twists and turns there was even more drama late on as Lloyd Kelly headed in a dramatic late equaliser to steal a point for Juventus! FT Juventus 4-4 Borussia Dortmund [Pictures from TNT Sports]

Arne Slot on Florian Wirtz: “There is so much focus on our signings not least the pundits who maybe support other teams…There is so much focus on Florian but the ones who were already here haven't scored four goals or had 12 assists.” (Press conference)
Liverpool could try a move for Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo if they end up needing to replace Ibrahima Konate, who is approaching the end of his contract and attracting interest from Real Madrid. (Fichajes)

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is continuing to attract interest amid uncertainty over his future, with Newcastle the latest club to start monitoring his situation. (talkSPORT)
Amorim on Mainoo: “Like a lot of guys, he wants to play more. I believe a lot in Kobbie, but some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already done. I think he can do so much better. He can improve in a lot. I really believe in Kobbie but I want more.”
Ruben Amorim may reportedly only have three games to save his job as Manchester United manager. (Daily Express)
If Man United do decide to sack Amorim, they have big-name managers from the Premier League in their sights, such as Oliver Glasner, Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva. (Daily Star)
Alternatively, Amorim could have more time at Old Trafford, but European qualification is seen as crucial for his future by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. (Give Me Sport)

A lovely move and a powerful finish by Timothy Weah as Marseille took a surprise lead away to Real Madrid last night, though it wasn’t enough to stop a comeback from the home side in the end. FT Real Madrid 2-1 Marseille [Pictures from TNT Sports]

Barcelona star Dani Olmo is emerging as a top target for Newcastle United in an ambitious potential transfer move. (E-Noticies)

No mistake here from Kylian Mbappe as he continued his fine form at the start of this season to score two penalties to help Real Madrid come from behind to victory. FT Real Madrid 2-1 Marseille [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Real Madrid plan to bring Nico Paz back to the club in 2026. They have big plans for the talented young Argentine after his impressive form at Como, and the Spanish giants plan to trigger his buy-back clause, which will be just €10m for summer 2026. (Fabrizio Romano)
Rodrygo Goes: “It’s a pleasure to play with Kylian Mbappe. We have a great connection, we combine a lot even in training. He’s on fire! I hope it stays this way and he keeps scoring a lot of goals.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold went off injured in the game and will now need to undergo tests on a hamstring injury. “It’s not as bad as we thought but we have to wait,” Xabi Alonso said in his post-match press conference.

Tottenham got a bit lucky with this bizarre own goal, but they won’t care as it proved to be the winner to give them just the start they wanted to their Champions League campaign. FT Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal [Pictures from TNT Sports]