While Andrea Berta was reportedly texting a nine-figure transfer proposal to Florentino Pérez, Mikel Arteta was back on the training pitches at London Colney watching a mix-and-match Arsenal side beat MK Dons 3-0 in the club’s first pre-season outing.

The Gunners named a starting XI made up largely of senior players who were not involved at this summer’s World Cup before a host of Academy prospects were introduced after the break.

New arrivals Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier both made their unofficial debuts, with Tzolis making an immediate impression by setting up the opening goal for Reiss Nelson. Back at Arsenal after a largely forgettable loan spell at Brentford, the winger finished on 10 minutes after being picked out by his new teammate.

Ethan Nwaneri, also back from a season away on loan, doubled the lead before half-time, while 18-year-old Ceadach O’Neill, already a full Northern Ireland international, completed the scoring in the second half.

With so many established first-team players still absent following their World Cup commitments, and some, including Ben White and Jurrien Timber, still working their way back to fitness, there is little point reading too much into either the result or the individual performances. This was, first and foremost, about building fitness, getting minutes into legs and allowing some of the club’s younger players another opportunity to impress Arteta and his staff.

Arsenal will now travel to Girona for a warm-up camp before their first public pre-season friendly on Saturday. From there, preparations ramp up quickly, with matches against Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund and Como before the Community Shield meeting with Manchester City on 16 August.

Away from first-team matters, Arsenal have begun announcing the latest crop of Academy graduates to sign their first professional contracts. Congratulations are in order for Remi Lupinski, Josh Ogunnaike and Callan Hamill, with more youngsters expected to put pen to paper in the coming weeks.

The Academy has already strengthened this summer with the arrival of Elijah Upson, while reports suggest Axel Donczew, the youngest player in Cardiff City’s history, is set to follow as Arsenal continue to invest heavily in the future.

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Arsenal first half: Arrizabalaga, Copley, Mosquera, Salmon, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri, Nelson, Dowman, Tzolis, Jesus

Arsenal second half: Arrizabalaga (Meslier 59′), Ogunnaike, Salmon (Julienne 59′), Clarke, Copley (Washington 59′), Ibrahim, Agustien, O’Neill, Harriman-Annous, Kabia, Mooney