Arsenal had to issue a brief statement after supporters grew frustrated by streaming difficulties during Christos Tzolis’ debut against Girona. The Gunners maintained their unbeaten pre-season record with an impressive 4-1 win over the Spanish outfit on Saturday, yet some fans missed parts of the action after encountering technical issues while trying to watch the match.
Arsenal had made the friendly accessible via Arsenal.com and the club’s official app, but issues with both platforms left many fans unable to access the stream. The club subsequently shifted coverage to YouTube, where the match was made available at no cost.”Arsenal supporters, apologies for the inconvenience. We’re working through some issues on Arsenal.com and The Arsenal App,” the club said in a statement posted on social media. “Tonight’s game is now being streamed for free on our YouTube channel.”
The fixture also marked the first competitive appearance of summer acquisition Christos Tzolis, who swiftly set about making his mark following his arrival from Club Brugge in a £34million transfer last month. The Greece international marked his Arsenal debut by doubling their lead on the half-hour following Kai Havertz’s 16th-minute opener for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Arnau Martinez reduced the deficit shortly after the interval, but Max Dowman re-established Arsenal’s two-goal advantage moments later before Gabriel Jesus added a fourth to seal a comprehensive victory.
The match represented Arsenal’s second of five pre-season fixtures this summer, coming after last week’s 3-0 triumph over MK Dons in a behind-closed-doors friendly, where Tzolis also caught the eye.
Arteta’s squad will now face Real Betis on Wednesday before meeting Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup next Sunday. They will then wrap up their 2026/27 preparations against Como, overseen by former Arsenal favourite Cesc Fabregas, four days ahead of their Community Shield encounter with Manchester City.
While Tzolis stands as Arsenal’s only significant signing of the summer thus far, the Gunners continue pursuing additional reinforcements. They are reportedly nearing a deal for Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, with the Brazilian understood to be moving closer to a switch after the two clubs progressed over a fee thought to be in the region of £80million.
Arsenal have also been linked with a stunning swoop for Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, who is currently in negotiations over fresh terms at the Bernabeu.
The winger has reached the final 12 months of his contract, putting Madrid under pressure to resolve his situation, though any prospective deal would likely require a fee well above £100m.
Regarding outgoings, Arsenal have allegedly reached an agreement to offload Christian Norgaard to Everton for £7m. The transaction would push their summer departures past £40m after the exits of Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Karl Hein.