Arsenal Premier League fixtures released as schedule for 2023/24 season set

Where will Declan Rice play next season?

Arsenal remain favourites to land Declan Rice, but the future of the West Ham man is far from cut and dried.

Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush

With the Gunners seeing a bid knocked back, the door may now be open for others to take advantage.

Manchester City are sniffing around the England star, while Bayern Munich - despite their recent pessimism - are known to be fans.

Check out bet365's latest odds on Rice's next club here

Inter keen on Balogun

Inter Milan are interested in Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sky Sports).

The American frontman caught the eye on loan at Reims last term, and has been tipped to leave permanently in search of first-team minutes.

Arsenal are said to want around £34.3m for the starlet, with Inter's sporting director reportedly in London this week for talks.

Progress on Havertz deal

Arsenal is a more realistic destination for Kai Havertz than Real Madrid, according to Sky Sport in Germany.

The Chelsea forward is in demand, and could be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge for around £60m.

Havertz has scored 32 goals in 139 games for Chelsea since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020.

Arsenal's fixture advantage

Arsenal will play in the Champions League for the first time since in six years next season – and Mikel Arteta’s side have been blessed with a kind schedule which could make their return a happy one.

Everton chiefs face transfer backlash from fans after deadline day disaster

The Gunners discovered their Premier League fixtures on Thursday morning and would have been quietly satisfied to find out they open their campaign with games against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Fulham. Arteta and his players have also been given favourable fixtures after their Champions League group games.

Mirror Footballhave analysed the fixture schedule to identify how many home matches the four English sides entering the group stages have in the Premier League straight after Champions League games. It revealed that Arsenal have been smiled on by the fixture gods.

Read the full story here

FULL STORY: Rice bid rejected

West Ham United have immediately knocked back Arsenal's opening approach for club captain Declan Rice.

The Hammers skipper is expected to leave this summer as he goes in search of Champions League football, but the east London side will demand a significant fee. Arsenal are among the front-runners in the chase for the 24-year-old, with Bayern Munich cooling their interest in the England star.

Arsenal are expected to return with a fresh approach as they look to unite Rice with a number of his international colleagues at club level. However, they could yet be rivalled by Manchester City for the signing.

Read the full story here

Juve 'willing to listen' to Chiesa offers

Arsenal-linked forward Federico Chiesa could be in line for a Juventus exit this summer, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

The Bianconeri finished outside the Champions League spots last term, with a points deduction doing untold damage, and could now be forced to sell prized assets like the Italy international.

“Any Juventus player could leave due to the situation without Europe and the financial problems. They will be willing to listen to offers,” Di Marzio told kelbet.it.

"They are open to letting Chiesa go because his relationship with [manager Max] Allegri is not that strong and this year he has played in different positions and not in the ones he likes."

West Ham's Rice concern

According to BBC Sport, West Ham are not happy with the "size and structure" of Arsenal's bid for Declan Rice.

Exact details of the bid are unclear, but Arsenal will need to return with an improved offer.

Rice bid rejected

It looks like Arsenal will need to come back with an improved offer if they are to land Declan Rice.

Arsenal make opening bid for Rice

The race for Declan Rice is hotting up, with The Athletic reporting that the Gunners have lodged an opening bid for the England international.

The Gunners aren't the only team in the mix, though, with the same report suggesting Manchester City are exploring a potential bid.

Bayern Munich appear to be out of the running, though, clearing the way for the West Ham man to stay in the Premier League.

Arsenal's rivals face interesting start

Manchester City will be eager to pip Arsenal to the post again this season, and they face a familiar foe first up.

Vincent Kompany captained City for a number of years, and his Burnley side will welcome his former employers to Turf Moor for their opener.

It's one of two trips to promoted sides in the champions' first three games, with Sheffield United on the horizon after a home meeting with Newcastle.

Read the full story here

Arsenal's Nwaneri worry

A brief move away from the fixture list for a minute...

Ethan Nwaneri, the Premier League's youngest ever player, is considering quitting Arsenal for a Premier League rival.

Nwaneri made history when he came on as a substitute during Arsenal's 3-0 win at Brentford in September, aged 15 years and 181 days.

The midfielder's schoolboy registration ends later this month and it remains unclear whether he will sign a new contract.

Read the full story here

Last six openers

It's been a mixed bag for Arsenal in recent seasons.

Last year there was a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace, but the 2021-22 campaign began with defeat at Brentford.

Arsenal kicked off with a win in 2020-21, beating Fulham 3-0, and also won 1-0 at Newcastle in August 2019.

It was a home start in 2018, with Unai Emery's tenure beginning with defeat to Manchester City.

Finally, in 2017-18, Arsene Wenger kicked off his final season with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Leicester.

Arsenal fans react

The prospect of a home start is a welcoming one for plenty of fans.

"Great to start our 2023/24 season at home!" was one message on Twitter. 2Let’s hope we are celebrating many successes for the Arsenal in May!"

Others were excited by the prospect of winning the title away at Spurs or Man Utd, with both games taking place during the run-in.

"Easy 6/6 to start the season. Win the league at Trafford. Simple" was one particularly confident take.

Gunners' tricky eight-game run

Arsenal have a testing run of games to look forward to in September and beyond as they get their 2023-24 Premier League season underway.

Mikel Arteta's team led the table for much of last season after winning their opening five games, but eventually fell away to let Manchester City secure the first leg of an eventual treble.

This season has also seen them handed winnable-looking games to start the campaign, but things eventually get trickier.

Read the full story here

All the Premier League fixtures in full

A mouthwatering clash between Chelsea and Liverpool headlines the opening weekend of the 2023/24 Premier League season, with the full fixture list now confirmed.

Both clubs - particularly Chelsea under new boss Mauricio Pochettino - are hoping to forget disappointing campaigns last time out as they meet on Sunday, August 13.

That's the penultimate match of the opening weekend, with Manchester United hosting Wolves on the first Monday Night Football of the season

Read the full story here

Some of the big games in focus

We know some fans will have gone straight to certain fixtures, but we've broken out a few for you.

The two North London Derbies are among the ones to keep an eye on, and Arsenal host Tottenham on September 23 before travelling across North London on April 27.

The meetings with Manchester City are on October 7 at home and March 30 away, while Manchester United await on September 2 and May 11, once again with the home match coming first for Arsenal.

As always, exact fixture dates are subject to change.

Arsenal's fixtures in full

12/08/2023 12:30 Nottingham Forest (h)
19/08/2023 15:00 Crystal Palace (a)
26/08/2023 15:00 Fulham (h)
02/09/2023 15:00 Manchester United (h)
16/09/2023 15:00 Everton (a)
23/09/2023 15:00 Tottenham Hotspur (h)
30/09/2023 15:00 A.F.C. Bournemouth (a)
07/10/2023 15:00 Manchester City (h)
21/10/2023 15:00 Chelsea (a)
28/10/2023 15:00 Sheffield United (h)
04/11/2023 15:00 Newcastle United (a)
11/11/2023 15:00 Burnley (h)
25/11/2023 15:00 Brentford (a)
02/12/2023 15:00 Wolverhampton (h)
05/12/2023 19:45 Luton Town (a)
09/12/2023 15:00 Aston Villa (a)
16/12/2023 15:00 Brighton (h)
23/12/2023 15:00 Liverpool (a)
26/12/2023 15:00 West Ham United (h)
30/12/2023 15:00 Fulham (a)
13/01/2024 15:00 Crystal Palace (h)
30/01/2024 19:45 Nottingham Forest (a)
03/02/2024 15:00 Liverpool (h)
10/02/2024 15:00 West Ham United (a)
17/02/2024 15:00 Burnley (a)
24/02/2024 15:00 Newcastle United (h)
02/03/2024 15:00 Sheffield United (a)
09/03/2024 15:00 Brentford (h)
16/03/2024 15:00 Chelsea (h)
30/03/2024 15:00 Manchester City (a)
02/04/2024 19:45 Luton Town (h)
06/04/2024 15:00 Brighton (a)
13/04/2024 15:00 Aston Villa (h)
20/04/2024 15:00 Wolverhampton (a)
27/04/2024 15:00 Tottenham Hotspur (a)
04/05/2024 15:00 A.F.C. Bournemouth (h)
11/05/2024 15:00 Manchester United (a)
19/05/2024 16:00 Everton (h)

Arsenal start at home to Forest

Arsenal's first game of the new season will see them host Nottingham Forest.

The Gunners have mixed memories of their meetings with Steve Cooper's side, having won comfortably at home last term but surrendered the title with defeat in the reverse fixture.

It's part of a welcoming start, with Crystal Palace and Fulham next up and Manchester United the only 'big six' opponent in the first five games.

Promoted prospects

Arsenal will have three new names on the fixture list this term, with Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton winning promotion from the Championship.

It's Luton's first season in the Premier League, but there are more recent memories when it comes to the other two.

Arsenal had two tight games against Burnley in the 2021-22 season, winning 1-0 away and drawing 0-0 at home.

Sheffield United's most recent Premier League campaign was 2020-21, with Mikel Arteta's team beating the Blades 2-1 at home and 3-0 away.

Half an hour to go

In half an hour's time, Arsenal's Premier League fixtures will be released.

Everyone has a game they'll be looking out for, whether that's the North London Derby, the season opener, or the Boxing Day game.

Not long to wait now...

A chance for new signings to impress

By the time the opening fixture rolls around, Arsenal will hope to have some of their summer business wrapped up.

Last season's opener at Palace saw Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus go straight into the starting line-up for the 2-0 win.

We're yet to learn which new faces might be involved this time around, but many fans hope Declan Rice will be among them.

Second fixture 'leak' emerges

A second lot of leaked Premier League fixtures have been released on social media after a hoax left supporters bamboozled.

Fans are on tenterhooks with the fixture list for the 2023/24 calendar set to be released to the public. The fixtures are kept under lock and key until then but as is the case every single year, a number of leaks have emerged.

A first went viral on Wednesday afternoon with the standout fixtures being champions Manchester City travelling to newly-promoted Burnley, whilst Newcastle were set to tackle Tottenham and Manchester United hosting Europe-bound Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford.

Read the full story here

How things looked last season

This time last year, Arsenal were learning they would kick off the campaign with a London derby against Crystal Palace.

It looked like a tough opener, but they came through it with a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park, one of five straight victories to start the season.

Mikel Arteta's team ended up avoiding defeat in all of their games against London opposition, and the same would be very welcome this time around.

Here we go again...

Arsenal's disappointment at their late title collapse has barely shifted while thoughts have already turned to next season.

Despite the Gunners running out of steam in the latter stages of the season, boss Mikel Arteta was buoyed by his team's progress.

That only looks set to continue with the expected arrival of Declan Rice, while further additions look likely this summer.

But can the Gunners mount another serious title challenge? And will they hold their nerve?

Getting a strong start will be key, but Arsenal fans will no doubt be keeping an eye on the fixtures over the back end of the campaign when they could potentially be gunning for the title again.