Mikel Arteta used his pre-Arsenal vs Chelsea press conference to back Chelsea's £7.5m move for Emiliano Martínez, calling the goalkeeper a top-level addition and a really smart decision. Chelsea have already made 11 summer arrivals, and Martínez has replaced Robert Sanchez as their first-choice goalkeeper.

Chelsea's move for Martínez

"Obviously, I know Emi really well," Arteta said to goal.com. "We had him here. He is a top goalkeeper." He then added: "It is clear what he is going to bring to the team and I think it’s a really smart decision."

That is a pretty strong endorsement from a manager who knows the player from his Arsenal days. Martínez spent eight years in north London, so this was not a generic pre-match compliment, even if Arteta was speaking ahead of a derby.

Chelsea's summer has already been busy, and the switch to Martínez looks like one of the cleaner pieces of business in it. A goalkeeper change is always easier to judge in time, but the club have clearly gone into the market with intent.

Arsenal's injury update

The more immediate Arsenal issue is Jurriën Timber. Arteta said he is "in really good condition at the moment" and that he has "been training with us now, he's in a good place." He added: "We will decide again tomorrow after training."

Timber is in contention for Sunday’s derby after minor surgery over the summer kept him out at the start of the 2026-27 season. He played the full 90 minutes in Arsenal's most recent league meeting with Chelsea, and his last completed league outing was rated 7.3.

Declan Rice is also fit and available despite coming off in the second half at Villa Park. Cristhian Mosquera, by contrast, has not been in training after the issue he picked up against Villa.

Sunday's Arsenal clash with Chelsea arrives with both sides having won their opening two matches, so Arteta gets the first proper look at a derby that already has enough on it without the transfer chatter. The only uncertainty inside Arsenal is how much Timber can do after training on Saturday.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →