Official: Arsenal Sign 16-Year-Old Forward from Crystal Palace; Three Gunners Nominated for Ballon d'Or Awards

Arteta was nominated for the Ballon d'Or Best Coach award, while Arsenal and goalkeeper Raya also received honors.

The 2026 Ballon d'Or selection is underway, and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has successfully entered the shortlist for Men's Coach of the Year due to his outstanding coaching ability. It recognizes a milestone breakthrough in his career, as he guided the team to a long-awaited league title and transformed the former 'Gunners' into a powerful side with the stature of an elite club.

However, Arteta is not alone among the top contenders in his field. Enrique, Emery, De la Fuente and Kompany were also nominated. Notably, four of the five candidates are Spanish coaches, highlighting the strong influence of Spanish football managers worldwide.

Although Enrique also won a league title, he appears to face a tougher challenge compared with Arteta. Arsenal's defeat in their direct Champions League meeting became a clear disadvantage for Arteta's bid. Meanwhile, because this is a World Cup year, De la Fuente's achievement of leading the national team to the title is a major factor behind his nomination.

Therefore, based on the current situation, Arteta still faces significant difficulty in winning the award. He will need continued success in both domestic league and Champions League competition in future seasons to secure the prize.

Meanwhile, Arsenal itself was recognized by the Ballon d'Or and nominated for Club of the Year. Last season, the Gunners won the domestic league title and reached the Champions League final. Other nominees include Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, Copa Libertadores champions Flamengo, as well as Bodø/Glimt and Bayern Munich.

The Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on October 26, and London will host the global football event for the first time in 70 years. Being the host city may provide Arsenal with some additional support, but as with Arteta's situation, competing against strong rivals such as Paris Saint-Germain remains difficult. Direct clashes in the Champions League are often the strongest measure of club strength.

In the individual awards, Arsenal goalkeeper Raya was also shortlisted for the 2026 Ballon d'Or Best Goalkeeper award (Yashin Trophy). Raya has won the Premier League Golden Glove for three consecutive years and again proved his ability last season with 19 clean sheets in 37 Premier League matches.

Compared with other nominated goalkeepers such as Bono, Courtois, Joan Garcia, Kobel, Dibu Martinez, Edouard Mendy, Safonov, Unai Simon and Wojciech Szczesny, Raya's chances appear particularly strong. Although he is not Spain's first-choice goalkeeper, his overall honors and individual performances make him a strong contender.

However, some people disagree with the idea that Unai Simon could win Best Goalkeeper based only on his World Cup performance. PSG goalkeeper Safonov also has team honors, but the team's success was not entirely dependent on his individual brilliance, and his importance still differs from Raya's.

In this Best Goalkeeper race, I personally firmly support Raya; his ability and contributions are clear to see.

In addition, Arsenal players Gabriel, Saliba and new signing Rice were included in the Ballon d'Or 30-player shortlist. Congratulations to them.

However, from the perspective of team honors, the writer believes Arsenal could perhaps have had more players on the 30-man shortlist. After consideration, apart from these three, few other players maintained top-level form throughout the year. Some players, such as Timber, Saka, Odegaard and Havertz, were affected by injuries or fluctuations, while Zubimendi missed key moments and saw his performances impacted late in the season and at the World Cup. Overall, these three core players were the most consistently excellent.

Unfortunately, no goalkeeper was included in the 30-man shortlist, otherwise Raya's name would surely have appeared.

Of course, individual gains and losses cannot determine the final result. According to current reports, Kane is the biggest favorite for this Ballon d'Or, while Arsenal players do not appear among the leading contenders.

Havertz has impressed, and Arteta showed great judgment in identifying his qualities.

Opta statistics show that in 61 Premier League starts for Arsenal, Havertz contributed a goal or assist in 29 matches, with a 48% goal involvement rate as a starter, the highest among players coached by Arteta.

This explains why Arteta values Havertz so highly. It proves the manager understands and uses players effectively, unlocking their potential and helping them perform at their best. Arteta knows what he wants and can implement his ideas efficiently.

Although I personally admire Gyokeres, it must be admitted that Havertz's performances since the start of the new season have been eye-catching. Hopefully he can maintain this excellent form.

Injury updates and academy prospect outlook.

In the latest team update, Mosquera was still absent from Tuesday's open training session, while Timber and Guimaraes both took part, bringing hope to the squad.

Mosquera is unlikely to return during the middle of this week, but encouragingly, Timber traveled with the team to Naples, suggesting his comeback is approaching. This would further strengthen an already deep Arsenal defense.

Skelly shows incredible passing accuracy as Arsenal's academy continues producing talent.

According to WhoScored statistics, among Premier League midfielders who have played more than 200 minutes this season, Skelly has the highest passing accuracy at 93.3%.

This is an outstanding statistic. Skelly's style is not simply based on safe passing; maintaining such a high success rate with frequent passes demonstrates his technical quality. More impressively, he also provided a key through ball early in the season to assist Calafiori's goal.

This summer, Arsenal wisely decided to keep Skelly rather than sell him. A young player with such quality and potential should not have been on the transfer market, as he is a valuable asset for the club.

Former teammates reunite warmly as academy youngster shows promise.

Before the match between Al Hilal and NEOM, former Arsenal teammates Martinelli and Lacazette unexpectedly met and shared an emotional embrace.

The two Gunners meeting brought back many emotions. But thinking about it again, both are now enjoying highly paid professional careers, so words of consolation were left unsaid.

However, Martinelli is still young and talented, and he may have opportunities to return to one of Europe's top five leagues in the future. His ability is unquestionable.

Official announcement: Arsenal confirmed that Angelino Pedro signed his first professional contract after turning 17. Pedro joined Arsenal's academy at age 11 and plays as a center-back. He is tall and has some resemblance to Mbappe in appearance. If he can develop into a defensive version of Mbappe, it would be a major boost for the club. Fans look forward to his future growth and performances.

Official announcement: Arsenal confirmed the signing of 16-year-old striker Milo Bernard from Crystal Palace. The highly promising youngster has already signed a pre-agreement and will officially sign a professional contract after turning 17. Bernard scored six goals in last season's Premier League U18 competition and has more than 40 goals across various academy levels.

Scoring more than 40 goals in a single season at any age level is an impressive achievement. This young player is clearly a rising star. Although transfer rumors faded before the window closed, the club ultimately completed the deal, which was a smart move. The team is expected to carefully develop him and help him grow.