Arteta: I am very satisfied with the players' condition after their return.

The 2026 Community Shield will be played at the Millennium Stadium, where Arsenal will face another strong rival, Manchester City, for the title. Arteta stated that he is pleased with the form of the recently returned players, including Saka, Rice, and Martin Zuweimendi, all of whom are in excellent condition.

The 2026/27 Premier League season will kick off with its first round of matches, and defending champions Arsenal will host newly promoted Coventry at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said, "I am very pleased with the players' condition after their return. Most of them came back earlier than expected, and according to various physical tests, they are in very good condition. Everyone looks to be in great physical condition."

There was a strong sense of excitement among everyone when they started looking at each other, examining our current roster and the team we were building.

After their national team duties concluded, Saka, Rice, and Martin Zuweimendi recently returned to Arsenal to participate in training.

Arteta stated, "All three players are available. They have been training with us and will continue to do so. If their physical condition reaches our expected level, they will participate in the matches. We haven't encountered any problems. We have developed individual training plans for them while they are with their national teams. They have been making adjustments in these areas and have made progress."

“During the break, Saka and Rice also had their own specific training plans. They have been training according to their plans, and from what I have seen in the past two or three days, they are in very good condition.”

In addition, Arteta stated, "Timber's recovery is progressing very well, and he has been able to return to the pitch. We are gradually increasing the amount of training, especially in terms of volume and load. Although his progress is good, it will still take a few weeks before he is fully recovered. As for Saliba, as everyone knows, his injury is a long-term one."

“We need to continue to observe and hope that Timber will be able to start training camp in about a week, and then see how his recovery progresses. This is a long-term recovery process, and we want to make sure that every step we take is the right one.”

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