Arsenal supporters have raised concerns that two first-team players could be on their way out of the club after noticing their reaction during the Community Shield celebrations.
Mikel Arteta’s team produced an impressive 3-0 victory over Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City in Cardiff, Wales, on Sunday (August 16).
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Arsenal took the lead after only a minute, with Riccardo Calafiori finishing past Gianluigi Donnarumma after receiving a perfectly weighted pass from Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The 2026 Premier League champions doubled their advantage in the 28th minute when Kai Havertz headed the ball into the net. New signing Christos Tzolis played a key role, supplying the first of his two assists.
Tzolis was involved once again for Arsenal’s third goal, setting up Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian midfielder sent Donnarumma the wrong way with a dummy before calmly finding the net to complete a convincing 3-0 victory.
The result secured Arsenal’s 18th Community Shield triumph, with Arteta clearly delighted by his players’ display.
Bro 😭😭😭 separately, Nwaneri and Martinelli are GONE. Them man were borderline refusing to go over for the celebrations until Big Gabi called them over pic.twitter.com/SUou7fOVZI
— Bels 📝🚀 (@BelsOlajuwon) August 16, 2026
“I’m really happy, so happy with the performance, with the desire that we showed and the manner that we competed,” Arteta said after the match. “It was a good test for us to understand where we were, and to win it in a manner that we’ve done it against this opposition, I think credit to the boys.
“We wanted to attack the game – we talked about it very early yesterday. We prepared certain things we wanted to achieve in the game, and the execution of the boys was incredible.
“What I love is that we missed certain things because we are still far from perfect in certain areas, as some players are new and they don’t have the timing right, but the way we tracked back, for example, and the way we went to certain actions, it was just a joy to watch.”
However, while Arsenal’s players celebrated together after the final whistle, footage that later circulated online appeared to show Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri remaining away from their teammates as the squad lifted the trophy.
The moment led some supporters to speculate that the pair could be preparing to leave the Emirates Stadium.
One fan wrote: “I know we’re being ruthless and trying to sell players off to refresh the squad. But this is sad.”
Another commented: “Nwaneri and Martinelli are GONE. Them man were borderline refusing to go over for the celebrations until Big Gabi called them over.”
A third supporter offered a different perspective, saying: “They are going because they won’t get minutes, not because they are getting kicked out. Let them process things in their own way.”
Another added: “This kinda heartbreaking, Martinelli probably shed a tear. But it is what it is. That’s football, that’s life.”
Both players were left out of the matchday squad, amid widespread reports that they could depart before the September 1 transfer deadline.
Martinelli has reportedly attracted strong interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray, while Nwaneri, who spent last season on loan at Marseille in France, is believed to be attracting attention from a number of European clubs, including AC Milan, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund.
Martinelli’s current Arsenal contract runs until 2027, while Nwaneri is tied to the club until 2030.
Arsenal will begin their 2026/27 Premier League campaign on Friday (August 21), when they take on newly promoted Coventry City.
Following the Community Shield, Arteta explained that Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli and Nwaneri were excluded from the matchday squad because of restrictions on squad numbers.
“It’s really sad not to have the availability,” Arteta said.
“I’ve been fighting with the Premier League to extend, to accommodate more players in the squad, because it’s always tough.
“They deserve to be in the squad; there is no question. Ethan as well. Marli [Salmon] as well. He has done the whole pre-season with us.
“Hopefully we can change that rule, and players can enjoy on the pitch and be an option to play and contribute to the team as much as possible.”
When asked whether the three players would still be involved in Arsenal’s plans, Arteta replied: “Yes, they are all very important for us.”
