Givairo Read has become one of the Netherlands’ most watched teenagers after a string of creative displays for Feyenoord. Scouts from Arsenal, Manchester City and Bayern Munich have taken note of his composed and creative performances, according to De Telegraaf.

The Amsterdam-born full back made headlines in March when he became the youngest player to register three assists in a single Eredivisie match this century, supplying a unique hat-trick of assists against FC Twente. Since the start of last season Read has created nine league goals for teammates, including three from 10 appearances already this season.

Interest from Bayern has been palpable inside the Feyenoord dressing room. “Yes, jokes are being made,” Read admitted this weekend. “They suddenly talk German to me and stuff. But that’s nice to see.” He was clear about his priorities amid transfer speculation. “It does not distract me, you know,” he insisted. “I’m comfortable with Feyenoord and my development here is the only thing in my head.”

Read’s statistical profile underlines why top clubs are monitoring him. Over the last year his per-90 output includes 0.34 assists (99th percentile), 0.22 expected assists (xA, 97th), 1.3 chances created (81st), 0.23 through balls (98th) and 2.8 touches in the opposition box (93rd). Data via FBref . Correct as of Nov. 3, 2025.

Arne Slot, the current Liverpool boss and the coach who gave Read his Champions League debut during his final year at Feyenoord, offered praise at the time. “Read also has a number of qualities that I like,” he said at the time. “Fast footwork. [He is] also not afraid to play, which is important when you have to go to De Kuip.”

Read’s development has also been overseen by Robin van Persie, who managed Feyenoord’s youth team and is now the senior head coach at Rotterdam. Van Persie promoted Read into the first-team leadership group. “The manager has also told me he has a lot of confidence in me,” Read told assembled media while linking up with the Netherlands U21 team in September. “I feel honoured to be the third captain. It gives me a lot of confidence; I dare to take more risks.”

Where Read would fit at Arsenal is unclear given Jurriën Timber’s form and Ben White’s presence, but Mikel Arteta has demonstrated a willingness to stockpile young talent, as with the summer signing of Cristhian Mosquera.

Arsenal’s credentials as serious contenders for the 2025–26 Premier League title rest heavily on the team’s defensive form. Jurriën Timber’s emergence as an elite right back, combined with a variety of inverted left-back options, has made the prospect of facing Arsenal a daunting task for opponents.

The conversation around Arsenal’s back line has included comparisons with Chelsea’s 2004–05 campaign, when José Mourinho’s side conceded just 15 goals across 38 games. That Chelsea team lost only once on their way to the title and featured a central pairing that defined the era: John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. They were often supported by Paulo Ferreira on the right and William Gallas on the left, with Petr Čech in goal.

Arsenal’s defence has been markedly strong this season. By Gameweek 10 of 2025–26 they had conceded three goals, a return that underlines why talk of historic comparisons has begun. While the full season remains a long way off, the early numbers and the emergence of Timber have focused attention on whether Mikel Arteta’s side can sustain such consistency.

John Terry has been vocal in defence of Chelsea’s record, sharing his view on social media. “I recently got sent this list of the 15 goals we conceded in 2004–05, I can’t help but be annoyed but also very proud to be part of a great team,” he explained. “Going over the games and goals in my head thinking this should be 10 or less.

“Records are there to be broken, but I’m not sure 15 goals conceded in the Premier League will ever be beat.”

Those lines capture why the comparison endures: Chelsea’s defensive benchmark is exceptional, and Arsenal’s current form has invited fresh debate. At this stage of 2025–26 the measurable fact is simple — Arsenal had allowed three goals by Gameweek 10 — and that statistic frames the evolving discussion about how close, if at all, this team might come to matching a long-standing standard.

Arsenal left Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Burnley relieved by three points but troubled by two injury withdrawals, manager Mikel Arteta revealed. Viktor Gyökeres did not return after the interval and Martín Zubimendi was replaced with around 15 minutes remaining.

The result moved Arsenal seven points clear at the top of the table ahead of Bournemouth’s meeting with Manchester City on Sunday, but Arteta warned that the win came with fresh fitness questions. “Before that I think [Gyökeres] was one of the best games he’s played,” Arteta said. “I think overall his performance was exceptional. A part of the goal, and we had to take him off because he was feeling a little niggle. So we’ll have to wait and see.”

Speaking to Match of the Day, Arteta confirmed Gyökeres’s complaint was muscular. “We have to wait to learn the extent of that,” he concluded.

Arteta gave a similar diagnosis for Zubimendi after the midfielder “asked to be subbed, so we’ll have to wait and see.” He added: “Muscular, yes. I don’t know. Muscular, yeah.”

On the match itself, Arteta singled out the first half as the stronger period of play, crediting the team’s control and attacking threat. “His high press, his position and his touches, his threat in behind, the way he linked play, the way he gets us from these situations to transition moments… A lot. I think he was in a really good moment. It’s a shame that he felt something.”

He also reflected on the overall performance: “I think we started the game exceptionally well. I think the first half was one of the best that we’ve played. Scored two goals, generated another two or three big chances and conceded nothing.”

Arteta conceded that Arsenal dropped their standard after half-time but praised the defensive display that ensured a comfortable outcome. “That was a platform because in the second half we dropped the standard, especially with the ball and with our intentions to take more risks, to play more forward. But again, defensively, we were exceptional.”