Ange Postecoglou got a harsh reintroduction to the Premier League on Saturday. Nick Woltemade’s first taste of English soccer couldn’t have been sweeter.
A trip to Arsenal was among the hardest possible starts for Postecoglou following his hiring by Nottingham Forest this week and the former Tottenham manager saw his new team get brushed aside 3-0 at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal’s new signings did the damage, with defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi scoring twice and Viktor Gyokeres — a prolific striker expected to transform the team’s fortunes — delivering exactly what is expected of him with a close-range finish. It was a third win in four matches for Arsenal, one of the top title contenders.
It was also a day when a slew of the Premier League’s late-summer signings made their debuts and one of the them was Woltemade, who headed home Newcastle’s goal in a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton.
Woltemade is a lanky Germany international who for a reported club-record fee of 69 million pounds ($93 million) to replace Alexander Isak. The 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters) striker became an immediate favorite at St. James’ Park by leaping at the far post to plant home a powerful header.
In other results, Fulham was gifted an own-goal in stoppage time to beat Leeds 1-0, Antoine Semenyo’s penalty secured Bournemouth a 2-1 win over Brighton, Aston Villa was still without a goal this season after a 0-0 draw at Everton, and Crystal Palace and Sunderland also played out a goalless draw.
Later, West Ham hosts Tottenham and Chelsea visits Brentford in a pair of London derbies.
Postecoglou’s misery
Zubimendi, the Spain midfielder recruited from Real Sociedad, volleyed home spectacularly from the edge of the area in the 32nd minute to put Arsenal in front before Gyokeres tapped in a cross from Eberechi Eze — another summer signing — to double the lead inside the opening minute of the second half.
Zubimendi headed in the third in the 79th minute to complete a miserable return to English soccer for Postecoglou, the former Tottenham manager who was hired by Forest on Tuesday as a replacement for the .
“This week, it’s fair to say, was fairly disruptive for the players,” Postecoglou said. “International week as well, so they didn’t get in until Thursday, Friday — they see a new manager and I’m trying to implement new things.
“So it’s only understandable that they probably haven’t got clarity of thought at the moment. But that’s my job to try to bed that (in) over the next few weeks.”
Arsenal has won three of its first four games, losing the other to likely title rival Liverpool.
Postecoglou was in June despite Spurs winning the Europa League title and securing qualification to the Champions League. Domestically, though, Tottenham finished 17th, just one spot above relegation.
Forest offered little at Emirates Stadium aside from a chested effort from Chris Wood that Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya tipped onto the crossbar.
Otherwise, it was all Arsenal despite manager Mikel Arteta being without star players Bukayo Saka and William Saliba because of injuries, starting with Declan Rice on the bench and seeing captain Martin Odegaard go off in the 18th minute with a shoulder injury.
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