Arsenal Dominates Manchester City in Community Shield

Arsenal picked up exactly where they left off.

Mikel Arteta’s side brushed aside Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, delivering a statement performance and collecting the club’s 18th title in the curtain-raiser.

Riccardo Calafiori needed less than a minute to announce himself. Myles Lewis-Skelly drove into space and whipped a low ball across the box; Calafiori arrived with perfect timing to steer it home and stun Enzo Maresca in his first competitive match in charge of City.

The early goal set the tone. Arsenal pressed high, snapped into challenges and refused to let City settle. The champions looked rusty. Arsenal looked ready.

The pressure told again before the break. Kai Havertz, sharp and aggressive between the lines, doubled the lead with a composed finish to cap a dominant first half from Arteta’s team.

Any hope of a City response evaporated almost as soon as the second half began. Three minutes after the restart, Martin Odegaard took over. The captain glided past Josko Gvardiol, then Gianluigi Donnarumma, before slotting in Arsenal’s third. It was the moment of the match from the player of the match.

For Maresca, it was a brutal introduction. For Arsenal, it was a reminder that last season’s momentum has not gone anywhere.

They now pivot to Friday night and a Premier League opener at the Emirates Stadium against newly promoted Coventry City, with confidence high and the first piece of silverware already secured.

Arsenal eye Dortmund’s transfer mastermind

While the first team makes noise on the pitch, the club’s work off it is just as relentless.

According to Sky reporter Patrick Berger, Arsenal have formally registered their interest in Borussia Dortmund chief scout Sebastian Krug and have already made initial contact over a potential move.

Krug has been a central figure in Dortmund’s recruitment for almost a decade, helping to drive some of the Bundesliga club’s most lucrative deals. He played a key role in the identification and signing of Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland, transfers that later delivered huge fees and underlined Dortmund’s reputation as an elite talent factory.

Sky Germany reports that talks between Arsenal and Krug have already taken place in London. The Gunners are not alone in the chase: Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are also understood to have expressed interest in bringing the Dortmund scout to the Premier League.

Krug has held the chief scout role at Dortmund since 2022 and, since November 2024, has shared those duties with Laurent Busser. His current contract runs until 2028, a significant obstacle for any club hoping to prise him away.

If Arsenal decide to push ahead, landing Krug would represent another major piece in the club’s evolving recruitment structure, on top of a summer that has already seen the first-team squad strengthened.

But with years left on his deal, any agreement would require Dortmund’s approval. Arsenal have made their move; now the question is whether they can convince one of Europe’s most respected talent-spotters to swap the yellow wall for north London.