IAN WRIGHT, RICCARDO CALAFIORI AND CHLOE KELLY MODEL ARSENAL'S 1990'S - INSPIRED AWAY KIT FOR 2026-27 CAMPAIGN AS MIKEL ARTETA'S SIDE PREPARE TO DEFEND PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE

Arsenal 

Arsenal and adidas have revealed the club's new away kit for the 2026-27 season, reviving one of the Gunners' most iconic designs with a modern twist. Inspired by the legendary 'Bruised Banana' shirt, the strip blends nostalgia with fresh ambition as the Premier League champions prepare for another title defence.

Arsenal revive iconic design

Arsenal and adidas have unveiled the club's new away kit for the 2026-27 season, introducing a modern interpretation of one of football's most recognisable shirts. Inspired by the famous 'Bruised Banana' jersey worn between 1991 and 1993, the navy strip arrives as Arteta's Premier League champions prepare to defend their title. It combines the adidas Trefoil logo with contemporary performance technology while paying tribute to the club's history.

Players embrace the legacy

The launch is accompanied by a series of miniature films featuring Declan Rice, Chloe Kelly, Riccardo Calafiori, Ian Wright, Little Simz and Arsenal supporters, all reflecting on the stories behind football shirts and what they represent.

Calafiori said: "We’re all looking forward to playing in this kit, we know the impact that the Bruised Banana has had on our supporters, you only have to see how many still wear it today to understand how much it means to the club. We’re proud to wear something with such history attached to it and use that as inspiration as we continue to push ourselves forward."

A modern take on a classic

The new jersey is built on a navy base with an engineered geometric graphic inspired by the original design, blending navy and yellow tones for a contemporary look. Red and yellow accents feature on the Trefoil crew-neck collar, while the Arsenal crest sits alongside the adidas Trefoil logo.

Calafiori added: "It’s our turn to create our own legacy at the club, we’ve enjoyed so many amazing moments with our supporters but we’re hungry for more. We want to keep winning, keep creating special memories together and give our supporters even more reasons to be proud of the team."

The shirt also incorporates adidas' CLIMACOOL+ technology, designed to help regulate body temperature through advanced moisture management and strategically placed ventilation zones.

Arsenal 

Ready for another campaign

The 2026-27 away kit is completed with matching navy shorts and socks, featuring coordinated red and yellow detailing to create a unified on-pitch look.

Available immediately through Arsenal club stores, selected adidas retail outlets, Arsenal Direct and adidas' online store, the new strip marks the beginning of another campaign as Arteta's side look to build on their Premier League triumph and create a new chapter in the club's history.

- Yosua Arya

BUKAYO SAKA "LIKES' POST THOMAS TUCHEL A 'FRAUD' AFTER ENGLAND HAT-TRICK VS FRANCE

 

Bukayo Saka was at the heart of England’s 6-4 victory over France as he netted a hat-trick as Thomas Tuchel’s squad secured third place in the 2026 World Cup.

At half-time it appeared the Three Lions would waltz their way to the bronze medals as they were leading 4-0, thanks to goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and a brace from Saka.

While we had been treated to some entertaining action in this clash, at least from an England point of view, in the first half, it would truly kick into gear when France got on the scoresheet.

The French would make it 4-3 before the hydration break, with Bradley Barcola’s goal being sandwiched between a Kylian Mbappe brace; Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Ousmane Dembele made it 5-4, and finally, in the 98th minute, Jude Bellingham would complete the scoring and earn the win for England.

It was a memorable performance for Saka in this clash; however, following the match, it appears his account liked a post saying Tuchel is ‘on fraud watch’, as the post praised the performance of three Arsenal players in the clash with France.

The post from albertsairpods said: “We really walked away with a Bukayo Saka World Cup hat-trick. Against France. You just escaped the nastiest public humiliation ritual. The cultural capital of six Arsenal G/A with zero injuries has decreased your punishment to a mere spanking. You’re still on fraud watch.”

However, it now appears that Saka’s account has now removed the like on this post that was critical of Tuchel, especially when there were questions around the future of the German as England manager after their World Cup semi-final defeat.

Thomas Tuchel’s future as England boss

The Champions League-winning manager faced serious questions after England’s defeat to Argentina due to his tactical decisions after the withdrawal of Anthony Gordon.

The Three Lions would suffer a 2-1 defeat with Marc Guehi being critical of Tuchel’s tactical approach, while several pundits were also outspoken about whether the German should remain in this managerial role.

Tuchel had been given a contract extension ahead of the World Cup, which would see him remain in charge until the completion of the 2028 European Championships.

Despite several loud calls for Tuchel to leave his managerial role with England, the FA appear to have given the German their full backing, believing he is the man to lead the team to silverware.

England’s performance in the third-place playoff with France will have only helped strengthen this belief as they secured the bronze medal in a thrilling 10-goal contest.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images

- Brendan McGilligan

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'THIS IS BIG BOY STUFF' - ROY KEANE AND MICAH RICHARDS HAVE FURIOUS ROW IN STUDIO ABOUT MAN UNITED PLAYER

Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir prompted a huge clash between Roy Keane and Micah Richards after the Red Devils' loss to Arsenal.

The Red Devils were beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon in their Premier League 2025/26 season opener, with Bayindir left culpable for the winning goal.

Bayindir had a moment to forget for Arsenal's winner against United on SundayCredit: Getty

His error sparked a heated debate between Keane and Richards at full timeCredit: Sky Sports

Stand-in goalkeeper Bayindir was surprisingly named in the starting line-up by Ruben Amorim in place of Andre Onana.

The Cameroon international had not been expected to feature due to a hamstring injury suffered last month.

However, Amorim confirmed prior to the match that he had been available for the fixture.

His decision to start Bayindir instead backfired just 13 minutes in as the Gunners took the lead through Riccardo Calafiori.

A corner from Declan Rice caught the keeper off guard as the ball dropped under the crossbar with Bayindir only able to flap at it.

Surrounded by players from both sides, Bayindir was only able to palm the ball onto the head of Calafiori with the Italian nodding home from a yard out.

Following the match, Keane and Richards were involved in a heated debate about the goal in the Sky Sports studio.

The pundits failed to see eye-to-eye on the United keeper's decision-making for the goal.

As Richards attempted to explain his stance that Bayindir needed more protection from the Arsenal players by his teammates, Keane fumed: "Micah, this is big boy stuff."

He continued: "There's going to be mismatches. If they've got a lot more players bigger than you're leads, then you're going to be outmatched somewhere."

Bayindir was unable to claw away a Rice corner as Calafiori scored the winning goalCredit: Getty

Richards hit back by arguing: "But not in the centre (of the goal)."

Keane replied: "That's the goalkeeper, you can't babysit a goalkeeper."

His fellow pundit did agree on Bayindir's fault in the goal, though, admitting: "I agree with you that the goalkeeper should definitely do better.

"But I also believe he should be protected a lot more."

Why did Onana not play?

Amorim had been asked about his selection choice between the sticks prior to the match.

With Onana only returning to training days before the fixture, he opted against playing his first-choice goalkeeper despite him being available.

Meanwhile, veteran Tom Heaton was included on the substitutes bench ahead of him.

The Portuguese explained: "We try to choose the best players for each game, so next week is a different life.

"This week, we chose these players. No (he is not injured), he’s recovered but the other guys did so well during pre-season, so I need to balance that."

Onana has not played for United since their post-season friendly against the ASEAN All-Stars in May.

Meanwhile, Bayindir made four pre-season appearances for the Red Devils.

Amorim's side are next in action away to Fulham next Sunday before a trip to Grimsby in the Carabao Cup on August 27.

- Ciaran Wiseman

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DECLAN RICE WANTS THE SEE ARSENAL'S 'BIG BALLS"/' AGAINST PSG: 'BIGGEST NIGHT IN OUR HISTORY '

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice tries to calm down his teammates

Declan Rice says Arsenal “need to have big balls” in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

Mikel Arteta’s side must come from behind to reach the Champions League final after losing the first leg 1–0 at the Emirates last Tuesday.

Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute strike proved decisive, and Rice admitted PSG’s fast start “shocked us”, calling on his teammates to show their “big balls” in the French capital.

“The first 15 minutes, the early goal shocked us a little bit,” Arsenal midfielder Rice said in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.

“Ten minutes to go we had a little blip and they hit the bar. We’re really positive we can do something here.

“Once we worked out how we could beat them, obviously we missed a few chances, but in terms of how we were driving with the ball, giving our wingers one-vs-one opportunities, chances started to open up.

“I think tomorrow night we need to do the same. We need to have big balls and we need to go out there on the biggest stage and show that we’re ready to play at this level.

“Yeah I think you need to have full belief, we certainly have that as a group. If we are the best versions of ourselves we can do just that.

“We showed we can do it when we went to the Bernabeu. There was so much talk about coming back but we handled that extremely well but we’ve proven we can handle big situations.

“We rise to the big occasions and we’re ready to do it again!”

Rice and Arsenal will be boosted by the return of midfield lynchpin Thomas Partey, who missed the first leg through suspension.

On Partey, the England midfielder added: “Total calmness, the best thing about playing with Thomas is the calmness he brings to play with the team.

“Before I came to Arsenal there was so much talk about how good he is. He doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves.

“It will be the biggest night in our history if we can win.”

Club captain Martin Odegaard has been criticised for his recent performances, but Rice insists he is the right man to wear the armband.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else being our captain and the lads think the same,” he said.

“The way he plays, the way he speaks. He’s been so good for us. He plays every minute.”

A strong Arsenal side lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday as PSG rotated heavily and were beaten 2-1 by Strasbourg.

- Jason Soutar

REAL MADRID MEME | RICE COOKER 😂

 

REAL MADRID MEME 😂

 

BUKAYO SAKA REVEALS CHAT WITH ARSENAL LEGEND ON DAY OF FAMOUS REAL MADRID WIN

Gunners winger has also explained his goal celebration that evoked memories of Thierry Henry’s heroics at the Bernabeu

ARSENAL HERO: BUKAYO SAKA WAS ONE OF THE STARS OF THE SHOW AS THE GUNNERS BEAT REAL MADRID AGAIN AT THE BERNABEU

Bukayo Saka has revealed that he spoke to Thierry Henry on the morning of Arsenal’s latest famous victory over Real Madrid, but insists he did not deliberately evoke his famous Bernabeu goal celebration.

Saka set the Gunners on their way to a second successive victory over the current Champions League holders on Wednesday evening, atoning for his early Panenka penalty attempt that was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois as he executed a brilliant lofted finish to put Mikel Arteta’s side ahead on the night and stretch their commanding aggregate lead in the quarter-final tie.

Arsenal eventually won 2-1 in Spain after Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time effort that followed Vinicius Jr quickly responding to Saka’s opener after a blunder from William Saliba, completing an emphatic 5-1 victory overall after Declan Rice had produced two stunning free-kicks to inspire an initial 3-0 first-leg success at the Emirates Stadium last week.

Paris Saint-Germain now stand between them and a place in the Champions League final at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 31, after the reigning French champions just snuck past Aston Villa on Tuesday night despite a rousing second-half fightback that saw Unai Emery’s men win 3-2 on the night but go down 5-4 on aggregate.

Barcelona meet Inter Milan in the other semi-final tie after their respective wins over German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern.

Saka was once again one of Arsenal’s star performers against Madrid as he made up for his missed penalty with a superb goal and afterwards revealed that he had spoken to club icon Henry ahead of the game.

Asked on CBS Sports if he planned a post-match FaceTime with the French legend - part of the interview as a pundit - Saka said: "100 per cent. I spoke to him this morning already but if he wants to speak again later, I'm going to be up. I'm not going to sleep tonight, let's be real."

Arsenal are the first English team ever to win twice at the Bernabeu, having become the first ever to do it in the Champions League back in the last 16 of the 2005/06 season, when Henry’s second-half goal sealed a 1-0 first-leg victory in Madrid.

A goalless second-leg draw at Highbury then sent the Gunners through and they later beat Juventus and Villarreal before losing in agonising fashion to Barcelona in their first and only Champions League final appearance to date in Paris.

Saka’s “shushing” reaction after scoring on Wednesday was the same as Henry produced at the Bernabeu 19 years ago, with the England winger posting pictures of the two celebrations side-by-side on Instagram after the game.

And while he certainly appreciated the symmetry, Saka insisted he did not deliberately replicate Henry after his own memorable moment at one of European football’s most iconic venues.

"To be fair, not really,” he said. “I just wanted to have my own moment, but of course Thierry has done the same here and it's nice that we can share this picture. It's nice."

- ADAM DAVY/PA WIRE

DECLAN RICE | BACK-TO- BACK MOTM AWARD WINNER VS. REAL MADRID

 

GET YOUR RICE! | ARSENAL 'DECLAN 'RICE' MEME

 

DAVID MOYEZ ON DECLAN RICE

 

DECLAN RICE FREE-KICK | LEGENDARY

 

DECLAN 'RICE' MEME | ARSENAL 3-0 REAL MADRID

 

DECLAN RICE EXPLAINS THE SUBTLE CHANGE MADE TO HIS FREE-KICK TECHNIQUE DURING ARSENAL V REAL MADRID THAT PAID OFF

Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Declan Rice’s two outstanding free-kicks stole the show as Arsenal taught Real Madrid a footballing lesson in their 3-0 victory in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final in what was arguably the greatest night the Emirates Stadium has ever witnessed.

The Arsenal midfielder, who had never scored even a single free-kick before Tuesday night managed to dispatch a brace and make even the tremendous Thibaut Courtois look powerless when the ball left his right foot twice.

In doing so, Declan Rice might have well taken a sizable step towards being deemed a Gunners legend as he produced one of the most impactful performances an Arsenal player has in the club’s rich history.

But after Arsenal thrashed Real Madrid, Rice explained the thinking behind both his free-kicks.

Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Declan Rice revealed looking down during free-kicks helped him during Arsenal vs Real Madrid

Alan Shearer raved about Rice’s two free-kicks against Real Madrid and Arsenal’s man of the moment explained that he has noticed that every time he looks at the ball before striking it in training, the result tends not to be satisfatory.

As even Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham was taken aback by Rice’s free-kicks as Arsenal took the visitors apart, the man himself also explained that when he does not look at the ball — his attempts are often far more accurate and the subtle change he made worked to a tee.

Thierry Henry asked Rice on CBS Sports “But you know what I like with the technique is you whipped it so hard early and you didn’t let your foot go, if you know what I mean, you held it.”

Rice replied: “I feel like when I practice these free-kicks, what I tend to notice is when I make the contact and I look up quick, it’s not the strike I want. When I look down on the ball and just focus on the ball and know in the spot I want to put it in, I tend to have more consistency with it and obviously, that’s a one in a, I don’t know what moment. I’ve been practicing it and it’s come off and to score two, it won’t hit me what I’ve done.”

How Kylian Mbappe reacted to Declan Rice’s second free-kick in Champions League quarter-final

Rice is well and truly a man who is dedicated to his craft — as was exemplified by his post-match assessment after Arsenal’s win against Real Madrid.

If the former West Ham United captain had not put in the hours of practice in training, his free-kicks might not have hurt Los Blancos on Tuesday.

But he did and Kylian Mbappe was caught by cameras being visibly blown away by the second free-kick in particular.

Alan Shearer lauded Rice’s all-round masterclass against Real Madrid and in every sense of the word, he put in a complete display.

Even Thierry Henry called Rice a man “possessed” and noted that he looked like a man with a point to prove.

For years, Arsenal’s mentality when the pressure is at its maximum has been questioned.

But Rice seems to be built of sterner stuff and his fearlessness in attempting both free-kicks from distance shows that this current crop of players are keen to show that they can mix it with the best of the best.

- Srinivas Sadhanand

REAL MADRID STAR ACKNOWLEDGES ARSENAL SUPERIORITY AFTER 3-0 BEATING - 'THEY PUSHED US'

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham did not shy away from the reality of his team’s performance after the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

A second-half brace from Declan Rice – two stunning free-kick goals – and a well-worked strike from Mikel Merino ensured a big win for the Gunners, leaving Real Madrid at the brink of an early exit from the Champions League.

Speaking after the match, Bellingham acknowledged that the Premier League side were superior, and could have inflicted even more damage.

“We were not even close. That is the truth, and Arsenal were really good. I know two of their goals came from free-kicks, but they could have scored many more,” Bellingham told Amazon Prime (h/t Mundo Deportivo).

"They punished us, and that is what happens at the highest level of football,” he further stated.

Bellingham & co. were outdone by Declan Rice. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Despite the heavy loss, the England midfielder expressed belief in a possible comeback when the two sides meet again at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday, echoing the sentiments shared by his teammates Lucas Vazquez and Raul Asencio.

"There is a second leg anad that is what we are holding on to. We need something really special, something crazy. But if there is a place where crazy things happen, it is our home,” Bellingham said.

“We are still alive. We have 90 minutes of football and anything can happen at the Bernabeu,” he added.

Real Madrid have now lost two games in a row, first to Valencia in La Liga, and now against Arsenal in the Champions League.

Up next is another league game against Alaves and another slip-up there would spell even more trouble for Carlo Ancelotti & co.

- Raghavendra Goudar

REAL MADRID 'RICE' MEME | ARSENAL 3-0 REAL MADRID

 

ROBERTO CARLOS SAW HIS FREE KICK BEING DONE BY DECLAN RICE 😲 PRICELESS