Arsenal are said to be monitoring a player dubbed the 'next Jude Bellingham'
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during a training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on September 14, 2026 in London Colney, England.
Mikel Arteta's side return to action on Saturday(Image: Stuart MacFarlane, Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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This Saturday's clash with Leeds United finally gives Arsenal the chance to put right their 3-0 defeat by Brighton.
The reigning champions return to Premier League action after an international break that has brought both encouraging performances and fitness concerns for Mikel Arteta. Of the 17 Arsenal players called up by their countries, several have made an impact in front of goal.
Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres have been among the recent scorers, while Bukayo Saka struck twice in England's 7-0 win over Croatia at the weekend. Arteta will hope that form carries over into club football, though player injuries remain a consideration ahead of Leeds.
Martin Odegaard appears to have recovered from Bernardo Silva's unsavoury challenge, but Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz may need late assessments before Arsenal return to action. Alongside preparations for that fixture, there are also developments on the transfer front. Here, football.london rounds up two of the latest Arsenal stories.
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Fabio Vieira opens up on transfer
Fabio Vieira has spoken about his anxiety during the final days of the transfer window, before he completed his deadline-day move to Hamburg. The German outfit, where the 26-year-old spent last season on loan, were unwilling to match the Gunners' valuation for much of the summer, with neither party prepared to compromise.
Vieira's desire to join Hamburg was never in doubt, given he had clearly fallen outside of Arteta's first-team plans. He had to wait patiently throughout the drawn-out negotiations, which led to nerves in the final few days before the deadline.
Ultimately, Arsenal were left with no choice but to accept a reduced fee of £8.6million due to the lack of other interested clubs, while Vieira was left delighted at having secured the move.
Vieira told Sky Sports: "The last two or three days in particular were quite intense. I was a bit nervous because I didn't know if everything would really work out. But in the end, everything went well. Now I'm here and very happy about it."
Fabio Vieira of Hamburg looks on from the substitute bench prior to the Bundesliga 2026/27 match between Hamburger SV and 1. FSV Mainz 05 at Volksparkstadion on September 06, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany.
Fabio Vieira completed a move to Hamburg late in the window(Image: Selim Sudheimer, Getty Images)
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Gunners enter race for 'next Bellingham'
Arsenal are reportedly genuine contenders to land Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Justin Ejodamen, who has been dubbed by the media as the next Jude Bellingham. The 15-year-old midfielder's attributes have been compared to the Englishman, who joined Dortmund as a 17-year-old and has since developed into one of the finest midfielders in the world.
The teenager is already attracting attention from some of Europe's most prestigious clubs, including AC Milan and Juventus, though Barcelona are reportedly frontrunners in the race. English sides Chelsea and Arsenal are also interested in the player given his immense promise.
TEAMtalk reports that Arsenal's scouting network has been observing Ejodamen's games and could try to secure him, should the chance arise further down the line. They do, however, face a big obstacle.
The midfielder turns 16 in April, at which point clubs within the EU can sign him, while English teams are prevented from doing so until 2029. Dortmund also remain optimistic about retaining the gifted teenager, considering their well-established track record for nurturing youngsters into world-class talents.
Ejodamen currently represents Italy at youth international level despite being born in Germany. He is also eligible to play for Nigeria.