Arsenal Held to 1–1 Draw in Secret Pre-season Clash vs Watford

• Arsenal hosted Watford in a secret friendly match played at the club's Colney training base
• The tie ended in a 1-1 draw, with fringe striker Marquinhos finding the back of the net for the Gunners
• Gabriel Jesus, Reiss Nelson, and Eddie Nketiah were all involved in the tie

Mikel Arteta got an early glimpse into his squad ahead of the new season as his charges battled Watford to a 1-1 draw in a secret pre-season friendly played on Saturday.

This was the first time the Gunners were in action since the end of the 2022/23 campaign when they came close to winning the Premier League title.

Arteta's charges had dominated the standings for the better part of the season and appeared as firm favourites to secure the crown for the first time in more than two decades.

However, ESPN reports that a disastrous run of results in the closing stages of the season saw Arsenal lose the title to Manchester City as they sealed a second-place finish.

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Football

Arsenal draw vs Watford

On Saturday, Arteta had a chance to get his players through to their first pre-season game of the season, where they were held to a 1-1 draw by Watford.

The Mirror reports that Arteta paraded a team mixed with senior players, fringe stars and academy hopefuls.

Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah were among the top players who were involved in the tie, with Reiss Nelson also getting some minutes.

However, this was not enough to help Arsenal see off the Championship side, with Marquinhos getting on the scoresheet for the London side.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have since embarked on strengthening their squad in preparation for the upcoming season.

The Emirates dwellers have already secured the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea, and hope to seal more deals in the coming weeks.

Morgan wants Osimhen at Arsenal

Sports Brief reported that British broadcaster and celebrity Arsenal fan, Piers Morgan told Arsenal to sign Victor Osimhen as a striker who can offer enough goals to compete.

Morgan doubled down on his claims after a video emerged of Osimhen scoring a golazo while playing football with friends during his holiday in Lagos, Nigeria.