The Big Arseblog Season Preview: 2026-27
It’s time for the traditional Arseblog season preview post, and as we do every year we’ve got a some of the Arseblog regulars to give us their ten cents.
All of these have been written independently of each other, so there’s no cross-contamination. So, this is what myself, Andrew Allen, Lewis Ambrose and Tim Stillman think of the squad – as it stands, fully aware the transfer window is open until September 1st – and its readiness for the new season.
Starting, as always, with:
GOALKEEPERS
ANDREW MANGAN
I don’t really think there’s much to say here. Arsenal have the best keeper in the Premier League in the shape of David Raya, with two experienced back-up options in Kepa Arrizabalaga and new arrival Illan Meslier. If you worry about a drop-off should anything happen to Raya, that’s understandable, but I don’t really know how Arsenal – or any club – can effectively deal with that situation.
If you have one of the best goalkeepers in the world at your disposal, everyone else is going to be a less secure option. Raya played 37 of 38 Premier League games last season, kept 19 clean sheets, and won the Golden Glove again. I don’t think we can ask for more than what he gives us, and while you always want your keeper to be less busy, the security he provides via his handling, distribution, and saves, is crucial.
TIM STILLMAN
In David Raya, I believe that Arsenal have the best goalkeeper in the league. I am very grateful we have not yet had to glimpse a world where he is absent for any meaningful period of time and very much hope for that felicity to continue indefinitely. I feel a little for Kepa, I just don’t think any back-up goalkeeper can show their best form when they play so infrequently.
I actually quite like the addition of Meslier because getting a goalkeeper who can compete with Raya is basically impossible. So having a senior number 2 and 3 to compete with one another for the deputy spot actually feels quite smart. But the TL;DR here is that if Raya stays fit; we are in very good health here. If he doesn’t, we’re a bit fucked and there’s not really anything we can do about that in the transfer market.
ANDREW ALLEN
What happens to Arsenal if David Raya gets injured? That’s the question that’s been living rent-free in my head for quite some time.
Even though Mikel Arteta and Inaki Cana have gone out of their way to recruit two goalkeepers with extensive Premier League experience, I can’t shake the feeling that if Arsenal had to rely on either Kepa Arrizabalaga or Illan Meslier for an extended period, the team’s hopes of winning more major honours would take a serious hit.
I appreciate that’s a fairly harsh assessment. Kepa has barely played 1,000 minutes in an Arsenal shirt, while Meslier has only had a couple of pre-season cameos to make an impression. Even so, you don’t need a doctorate in goalkeeping to recognise the drop-off from Raya is significant.
It isn’t just his shot-stopping or command of the penalty area that Arsenal would miss. His ability to break opposition lines with a pass, often under intense pressure, has become a huge part of how the team plays. Then there’s his temperament. Raya has an almost unnerving calmness that seems to settle everyone around him, teammates and supporters alike. You don’t get that from keepers with a portfolio of gaffes to their names, albeit for other clubs. Admittedly, that’s the glass-half-empty view of a hypothetical problem that may never arise.
On the flip side, Arsenal have the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. Raya has won the Golden Glove three seasons running, has barely missed a game since arriving in north London and has kept 48 clean sheets in 107 Premier League appearances. Those are remarkable numbers, albeit helped by his defence making it very hard for opponents to shoot. If Arsenal can keep him fit, they’ll head into every competition with the strongest possible foundation on which to build another title challenge.
LEWIS AMBROSE
When’s the last time you could confidently say the best goalkeeper in the country plays for Arsenal? Enjoy it.
I’m not enamoured with Kepa – who is? – and I don’t want to be in a position where he’s starting league games, but that’s how things go with backup goalkeepers. Just look around at the other backups at top clubs, I don’t think it’s easy to upgrade. A little over 12 months ago, he was the number one for the team that had finished ninth in the league with as many clean sheets as Emi Martinez and Nick Pope.
At least now he has competition in the form of Illan Meslier, who had a bright start to his career before some high-profile errors seemed to destroy his confidence. He’s a perfectly fine third choice and, ultimately, we shouldn’t see him used anyway. Plus his arrival should allow Tommy Setford to head out on a valuable loan spell.
DEFENDERS
ANDREW MANGAN
Right now, I’m just a little bit worried. Losing William Saliba is a big blow, as much as I value the talent and potential of Cristhian Mosquera. Put simply, he is one of the best centre-halves in the world, if not the best, and you can’t not miss a player of that calibre. When an absence like that is exacerbated by continued uncertainty over the fitness of Jurrien Timber, who has barely played a competitive game in 6 months, it does make me a little concerned about the right-hand side of our defence in particular.
It does look, at the time of writing, that Ezri Konsa will be brought in to fill that very necessary gap. I feel like £50m is expensive for a player of his age, but right now there’s a pressing need and the club may feel it’s money well spent. It ought to remove a heavy burden on Ben White – who has had his own injury issues over the last two seasons to contend with – and Mosquera. For Timber and White in particular, our need to rely on either one of them for extended periods is unquestionably a contributory factor to their injury records, so we cannot allow that to happen again. Konsa makes sense, and a signing of this kind is never going to be too exciting, regardless of how much it’s needed.
On the other side, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie are as good as it gets, and given all the competition we have in midfield, it wouldn’t hugely surprise me to see Myles Lewis-Skelly used at left-back from time to time, even if he is staking a strong claim higher up the pitch. At the very least, he’s a bit of a safety blanket option for the defence because we know he can do it.
TIM STILLMAN
Arsenal really strengthened here last summer with Mosquera and Hincapie coming in and Arsenal are going to have to do so again due to fitness issues on the right side of the defence. Saliba is such an important pillar, in and out of possession, and over a long period of time I just don’t think we can take too many risks there. In a world where there were few fitness doubts over Timber and White I would trust either player to slide across into Saliba’s role.
Unfortunately, we don’t currently live in that universe. Links to Konsa make sense to me given that he is 28, Premier League ready and shouldn’t really impact the longer term prospects of Mosquera and Salmon. But Arsenal really need a signing there, I think with a good wind (Saka, Havertz and Odegaard fit) Arsenal could win the league again with their current attack. I am less confident of that without such a huge player like Saliba.
While that is a hole that needs fixing, I am especially excited to see Riccardo Calafiori this season. It’s another player we are crossing our fingers for fitness wise but with a World Cup free summer and a full pre-season, I think he can be such a key player for Arsenal (and help them in attack). With Hincapie in the squad it feels like we ought to be able to look after him well enough too.
ANDREW ALLEN
At the time of writing, Arsenal are yet to officially unveil Ezri Konsa, although all the signs point to the England international becoming the latest addition to Mikel Arteta’s defence within the next couple of days. Given William Saliba and Jurrien Timber will both begin the season on the sidelines, it’s a piece of business that has felt increasingly necessary as the summer has progressed.
In an ideal world, Arsenal wouldn’t be committing a sizeable chunk of their budget to replacing an injured player, but there is something to be said for an experienced, oven-ready solution when you’re trying to defend a Premier League title. Konsa won’t arrive with the fanfare of Bruno Guimaraes or the intrigue surrounding Christos Tzolis, but his versatility, reliability and wealth of Premier League experience should make him one of the more important signings of the window. Importantly, he’ll ease the burden on Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera.
After a slow start to last season, White looked back to his best before that untimely knee injury at West Ham ended his campaign early. Mosquera, meanwhile, has quietly turned into one of Arsenal’s smartest signings in years. Champions League final penalty giveaway aside, the 22-year-old barely put a foot wrong in his debut season. On the left, the contrasting qualities of Riccardo “galloping pony” Calafiori and Piero “total eclipse” Hincapie give Arteta two very different, but equally effective, options. Both can also fill in alongside Gabriel at centre-back if required. Then there’s Myles Lewis-Skelly. He remains capable of playing at left-back, although, much like Bukayo Saka before him, I suspect those days are reserved for emergencies now that his future clearly lies elsewhere. Still only 16, Marli Salmon is too young to loan out, and may have to make do with some cup action.
On paper, this is the best defence in Europe. This core group helped Arsenal keep 19 Premier League clean sheets last season while conceding an average of just 0.74 expected goals against (xGA) per game, the fourth-lowest figure on record. They became so difficult to break down that Arsenal supporters, in search of some drama last November, started wondering whether opponents would even manage a shot on target. The same resilience carried into Europe, where the Gunners conceded only seven goals in 15 Champions League matches. Aside from an occasional habit of conceding late, with 34 per cent of league goals arriving after the 76th minute, this is a team that knows exactly how to defend.
The only lingering concern is durability. Saliba’s chronic back problem is expected to keep him out for several months. Timber has played just 60 minutes since March and required surgery after rest alone failed to solve his groin issue. Calafiori is still searching for a season uninterrupted by injury, Gabriel underwent hamstring surgery two years ago before suffering a minor recurrence last season, and White’s knee rarely seems to go unstrapped these days. These are elite defenders, but they’re also players carrying the scars of the battles they’ve already fought. We can cope without a couple, but lose three or four at once, and even the strongest defence starts to creak. Then again, you’d probably say the same about every genuine title contender.
LEWIS AMBROSE
We won the league and reached the Champions League because we have the best defence around by a distance. So I’m torn heading into the new season. I back Arteta and his players to deliver more solid defensive performances, but I worry about how solid they can be without William Saliba and Jurrien Timber. In particular, without both at the same time.
Centre-backs live and die by how well-suited their partners are, and Gabriel and Saliba fit like an arse on a bucket, as they say in Germany. I don’t want to get into who might be what in the analogy, but Ezri Konsa, should that deal be completed, and Cristhian Mosquera have some big shoes (I’d rather mix metaphors than throw more uncomfortable imagery into the mix) to fill.
I think Konsa is calm and excellent on the ball, I see him as more of a centre-back than a right-back and suspect he’ll slot in alongside Gabriel for the most part. Mosquera is hugely talented but still a little raw. I’d rather not see either player at right-back very often, if we can avoid it, and worry that could hamper the attack somewhat.
Jurrien Timber’s injury is an issue in that regard. Ben White looks sharp and I’m crossing everything in the hope that he can stay available and hit top form. A world where White can start 25-30 games across all competitions again would be invaluable.
There are no such issues on the left. Piero Hincapie is commitment personified and good cover centrally, as well as an excellent left-back. It feels like a key to the season, though, will be how much football Riccardo Calafiori can play. There’s a trend of players like him arriving late in central areas to overload and break down blocks – Nico O’Reilly, Josko Gvardiol, Marc Cucurella have all had five-goal seasons in the Premier League in the last two years, Achraf Hakimi has 62 career goals – and our roaming Roman has everything to make an enormous difference in the final third.
MIDFIELDERS
ANDREW MANGAN
The big arrival of Bruno Guimaraes tells us two things. First, Mikel Arteta is looking for different ways to build up from midfield areas, particularly from deep as the Brazilian’s range and passing ability, coupled with his desire to get the ball forward quickly, is a potential evolution from a side that can be guilty of recycling possession too often.
Secondly, at 28 and the most expensive midfield signing in Premier League history of any player that age, he’s been brought in to help Arsenal win now … again. We haven’t retained the title since the 1930s, and at his age, his motivation to win the biggest prizes will be high. There’s no question this is an Arsenal team full of desire and ambition, but any subconscious relaxing after winning the league last season could well be offset by the Brazilian’s desire for medals.
After that, it’s a question of how Mikel Arteta configures his side. When you view the sheer talent and depth available to him, it’s an incredibly impressive roster. Guimaraes, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eberechi Eze and Ethan Nwaneri are all available to him to start the new campaign. I think it’s inevitable we lose at least one of them, and the chat seems to be about Nwaneri being the most likely departure. Nevertheless, you can’t help but be impressed, and I have a strong feeling we’re going to see a lot more from the captain this season.
It wasn’t that long ago we were looking at players like Matteo Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos trying to run the show in the most important part of the pitch, and this could not be any further from that in the most positive way possible. It’s the strongest midfield in the Premier League, and if Arteta uses it correctly domestically and in Europe, we may not have key players running on fumes when we get to the business end of the season
TIM STILLMAN
At time of writing, I think this is an area where we are so, so much stronger than we were in April. Lewis-Skelly’s emergence in midfield at the end of last season already makes the squad stronger. Mikel Merino is back from injury and Christian Norgaard has been replaced by Bruno Guimaraes. We have gone from over reliance on Martin Zubimendi to him suddenly being in danger of being a bit-part player.
Lewis-Skelly’s emergence and the signing of Bruno just adds so much more devil to Arsenal’s passing. Central progression was a bit of an issue last season and Arteta has taken a sledgehammer to that particular walnut. The addition of Bruno should also mean that Declan Rice can be looked after. I would also like a season of sublime fitness for Martin Odegaard please and thank you.
ANDREW ALLEN
Asked last Sunday whether he agreed with Mikel Merino’s assertion that Arsenal have the best midfield in world football, Mikel Arteta laughed.
“It’s the best midfield for Arsenal, that’s for sure. That’s what we have to make it, everybody complements with their qualities to the player next to them and that we have this variability, that diversity with the qualities that we need in relation to the opponent.”
It’s difficult to argue with that. Bruno Guimaraes has replaced Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice have another season together under their belts, while Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze give Arteta a blend of craft, control and goal threat that few clubs can match. I could even throw Kai Havertz into the mix. For the first time in a long time, Arsenal have the luxury of picking a midfield to suit the opposition rather than simply hoping everyone survives another three-game week.
That depth also helps explain some of the transfer speculation we’ve seen this summer. Andrea Berta appears willing to listen to offers for Ethan Nwaneri and, more controversially, Myles Lewis-Skelly, seemingly confident the squad can absorb the loss of one of them. Given Myles’ performances at the back end of last season, culminating in holding his own against Paris Saint-Germain’s not-too-shabby midfield in the Champions League final, there would be armed insurrection if he were sold. Even so, the 19-year-old has his work cut out forcing his way into the starting XI. Competition for places has rarely been fiercer and, from Arteta’s perspective, that’s exactly the point.
After last season’s marathon campaign, followed by this summer’s expanded World Cup, sharing the workload feels more important than ever. Zubimendi started brilliantly before fading badly after Christmas. By the end, he looked absolutely shattered. Rice has repeatedly hinted he played through pain for much of the campaign. Arsenal got away with it because both kept going, but you wouldn’t want to rely on that happening again.
For the first time under Arteta, Arsenal don’t have a first-choice midfield, they have several. Against teams that sit deep, he can field technicians capable of unlocking compact defences. I want our guys to be bold on the ball. Our open play xG ranked seventh in the Premier League last season, and I’m desperate to see us play more vertically through the middle of the park when possible. Against the Premier League’s more physical sides, he has enough athleticism and bite to turn games into wars of attrition. We’re amazing out of possession, we know that. If things aren’t working, he can look to the bench without feeling he’s weakening the side. That’s a luxury the manager has spent six years trying to build.
The biggest challenge may be keeping everyone happy. Unlike Norgaard, who accepted he was joining as a squad player, the current crop all believe they should be starting the biggest matches. Even if Nwaneri and Fabio Vieira leave before the window closes, there are only so many places in a matchday squad. It’s another reason why you can understand why Arsenal might be prepared to sanction an unpopular sale, however difficult that would be for supporters to swallow.
LEWIS AMBROSE
It’s simple: I think the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes is brilliant and Arsenal have the complete midfield, with every profile you could wish for. Declan Rice’s qualities are obvious. The first half of Martin Zubimendi’s season last year shouldn’t be forgotten. Both players were overplayed and that shouldn’t happen again, given the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly (who must not be sold) in the middle of the park and the arrival of Bruno.
The ex-Newcastle captain can play in any midfield role, he offers aggression and energy, he shows incredible personality and fearlessness on the pitch, and he adds creativity and end product. He should not be used sparingly.
Martin Odegaard has, to me, long been the player who makes Arsenal tick. When he plays well, Arsenal are brilliant. When he is struggling for form or fitness, they generally do not. The reliance on set-pieces last season. The captain only played more than an hour in 22 league games in 2024-25 and that was down to 11 league games in 2025-26. No wonder there has been a reliance on set-pieces, he’s the man who makes us tick.
I think playing well and dominating gives a better platform for Eberechi Eze – more of a ‘moments’ player – to chip in, and I do wonder where he’ll be used, and how often. Let’s not forget, he and Odegaard lined up in midfield together in our last league game before the title was sealed.
Lastly, fittingly, Mikel Merino often feels like a bit of a forgotten man. I’m interested to see how much he plays and where he plays. If we do need more goals again, he has a nose for them and will be hard to ignore. Fitting him in is the hard part.
FORWARDS
ANDREW MANGAN
Christos Tzolis is the only arrival so far this summer, he’s had an impressive pre-season, and right now it looks as if the man who replaced Leandro Trossard will start the season on the left-hand side. Whether there’s another arrival there, we’ll have to wait and see. Arsenal aimed high with the Vinicius Junior pursuit, and that was clearly an attempt to raise the level in the forward line. It didn’t happen though, and while there are few stars of that ability ‘available’, fans will be hoping for something else before the end of the window.
On the right, Bukayo Saka will hope for a season less impacted by injuries, and if we can get that, his ability and quality will be very important. Noni Madueke, as his back-up, is a bit hit and miss, and the use of Max Dowman there in pre-season might see greater involvement for the 16 year old over the course of the campaign.
For me, keeping both Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz fit and available is vital. I think it’s clear there are games which suit one more than the other. If the Swede is a bit of a flat-track bully (he didn’t score against any of the top 6 last season), his 14 goals against those other sides were an important part of our title win. The manager defaults to Havertz in the ‘big’ games, and I don’t expect that to change – but the fact he missed almost 6 months last season put a heavy burden on Gyokeres who had to play too many games in a period when he was still adapting and settling in.
I think Gabriel Jesus will go, Mikel Merino could be an option at certain points, but I can’t see us signing a new striker before this window closes, even if you could argue there’s room for a younger option to replace the departing Brazilian. I could be wrong, but it feels like what we have we hold, and the striker timeshare needs to work effectively.
The question then is can we add that player on the left everyone wants to see? The options are limited, the clock is ticking, but I do feel like this window would be underwhelming without an attacking addition.
TIM STILLMAN
Trossard out. Tzolis in. I really like the look of Tzolis and he looks like the sort of signing a Bournemouth, Brighton or Brentford make before taking you to the cleaners for a fee two years further down the line. If he is as good as Trossard, he will be an excellent signing. But at time of writing, it is very difficult to argue that Arsenal have improved here.
Last summer they raised the floor by signing Eze, Madueke and Gyokeres who beefed out the squad. But Arsenal have been looking for a ceiling raiser in attack really since Saka burst onto the scene around six years ago. The pursuit of Vinicius shows you that a) Arsenal are acutely conscious of this and b) the market for attackers is very tough and very expensive.
Better bills of health for Saka, Havertz and Odegaard will improve the attack organically compared to last season but it does feel very overdue for Arsenal to be able to ‘show a different face’ here. I suspect some significant twists and turns will happen in this area in the final days of the window.
ANDREW ALLEN
I spent quite a bit of time procrastinating before writing this section. I pored over last season’s data, watched highlights of the goals we scored, walked aimlessly around the block, made a coffee I definitely didn’t need, stared at some more numbers and eventually arrived at the in-depth conclusion that…I don’t really know what to make of Arsenal’s attack; one that was third for expected goals last season in the Premier League.
Saka is brilliant, we know that. But he’s also becoming worryingly injury-prone. Anyone know what’s actually going on with his Achilles? And, whether we like it or not, his numbers have been trending downwards for a couple of seasons. Viktor Gyokeres arrived as the great white hope and, broadly speaking, did what I expected, scoring enough goals to make up for the shortfall from the previous campaign. I just didn’t anticipate him being quite so industrial in other aspects of his game. Noni Madueke’s debut season was similarly predictable, flashes of real quality mixed with long spells where the end product often disappeared somewhere into Row Z.
On the left, Gabriel Martinelli looked a genuine threat in Europe but somehow finished the Premier League season with just one goal. Kai Havertz spent a sizeable chunk of the campaign on the treatment table, Gabriel Jesus wasn’t much better, while Mikel Merino also missed significant time despite not really being a striker in the first place. Max Dowman may well be very, very good at football, but he’s still a child. I’m not about to place the weight of Arsenal’s attack on the shoulders of a future Ballon d’Or winner just yet.
Then there’s the departure of Leo Trossard. Even allowing for a dip in form, brought on in part by personal issues, he was probably the most natural finisher in the squad. Replacing that output now falls to Christos Tzolis. Slightly unfairly, the Greek arrived at London Colney just as supporters were allowing themselves to dream about Vinicius Junior, meaning he was cast as the understudy before he’d even kicked a ball. That’s a tough introduction for anyone, but his start suggests he isn’t remotely fazed by the expectation.
Apologies if all of that sounds a bit gloomy because, lest we forget, we still won the league. But this feels like the one area of the squad where there are more questions than answers. Every option comes with a caveat. Saka’s fitness. Gyokeres’ all-round game. Martinelli’s league output. Havertz’s availability. Madueke’s consistency. Dowman’s age. None of those concerns are fatal in isolation, but collectively they explain why so many supporters are still hoping for one more attacking signing. I keep asking, do we have the va-va-voom to take the elite teams to the cleaners? Not yet.
With two weeks of the window remaining, it’s hard to see where we might turn for that. We keep hearing Mikel Arteta is a huge admirer of Julian Alvarez, but Atletico Madrid have no interest in selling and the player appears to favour Barcelona anyway. Bradley Barcola would undoubtedly excite people, but not at the £145 million being quoted. I suspect that’s the problem Arsenal have created for themselves. Once you’ve publicly chased Vinicius Junior, almost every alternative feels a little underwhelming.
LEWIS AMBROSE
A full season of Kai Havertz is all I ask. Last season was tough, with the German (after a brilliant end to 2023-24 and a strong start to 2024-25, despite issues around him) sidelined for so long. Arsenal had to play new signing Viktor Gyokeres more than I suspect they originally intended, and Arteta was robbed of any sort of variety up top. The manager loves Havertz’s all-round game, and his goal record is a very useful one in two (roughly) in the league and Europe since he was moved up front.
I’m intrigued to see what sort of role Gyokeres will have. We always thought Havertz would be preferred for the ‘bigger’ games, and that did eventually play out last season (even though Gyokeres showed improvement from around March on), but who gets the nod against the bottom-half sides? I don’t expect it to happen, and he improved as the season went on, but I wouldn’t be stunned if Arsenal were willing to listen to an approach for Gyokeres in the next two weeks, as long as they find an alternative in the market.
Part of that is because there doesn’t seem to be an obvious, attainable, cost-effective left-winger out there. Maybe the fresh blood needs to come centrally as a result?
Christos Tzolis is the sort of smart deal I’d like to see Arsenal try more often and the Greek has had a fine start to life in north London. He’s direct, efficient, plays with his head up, and has very dependable, clean technique. His hustle matches his attacking qualities, too. I wish he was a little quicker, but he’s going to win a lot of fans. Gabriel Martinelli seems to not be wanted any longer. If he does leave, it leaves us quite one-paced across the frontline, and without a backup. Last summer it was assumed that either Noni Madueke or Eberechi Eze would play on that flank, and those ideas could be revisited, but selling without singing a pacy winger would look odd to me.
On the right, a sharper Bukayo Saka would change our lives all over again. Don’t forget how good he is. Madueke is infuriating because he’s so tantalisingly close: there are wingers out there who can’t beat their man and never look like threatening. Madueke can and does, then that final action is so often just off. I don’t know if that can be sharpened, but I hold out a sliver of hope. Max Dowman doesn’t need to be rushed, but we’ve already seen he can break games open if needed.
OVERALL
ANDREW MANGAN
In last year’s preview, after three successive second places finishes, I wrote ‘It’s hard to win a title’. I stand by that, it was hard, but we did it. And now comes the next challenge: retaining it.
The dynamic changes from Arsenal being the perpetual bridesmaids, the team that almost did it, to the team that actually got it done, and everyone wants to beat the champions. It’s something we’re going to have to contend without throughout, but let’s not also forget that being champions means you have an aura which you can take with you onto the pitch for every game. I really want to see us lean into that.
If last season felt like all of the weight of 22 years without a title was on us, like a chain around our necks, hopefully the players – and the manager – feel somewhat liberated by the fact they got it over the line. There’s quality, depth, experience, talent, and now a belief that as a group they can go the distance. Any shreds of self-doubt ought to be gone, and hopefully they can rise to the challenge to do something no modern Arsenal team has ever done.
Oh, and go one better in Europe, of course.
TIM STILLMAN
Arsenal didn’t come into this summer needing to do much in terms of quantity. But what they had to do had to be good, they need a starting quality player in defence, midfield and attack and, at time of writing, have only managed one of those. I am more relaxed about the situation in attack, Arsenal do not lack numbers there and still largely have the attack that won the league last season.
I always maintained that was something that we could afford to fix late in the window if required and, looking across the league, everyone still has significant business to do. So I expect the market to get moving soon. The anticipated arrival of Konsa eases the defensive nerves.
I love the addition of Bruno and that feels like a big software upgrade and the sort of move the Premier League champions make. I think there are a number of organic improvements the squad can make with a better bill of health but even if the likes of Odegaard, Saka, Havertz and Calafiori do have better seasons in this respect, we cannot guarantee that a couple of other senior players might get ‘Saliba-d.’ I still make Arsenal favourites to win the league next season.
To win the Champions League, it does feel like that marquee attacker is required.
ANDREW ALLEN
If last season was about clearing the biggest psychological hurdle, coping with the weight of expectation and finally getting over the line by hook or by crook, now it’s go time.
The foundations are in place for this squad to achieve something very special. Man for man, I think Arsenal have the strongest squad in the Premier League. Better still, so many of their rivals are entering new eras, changing managers or rebuilding on the fly that there’s a genuine opportunity to establish themselves as the dominant force in English football. The watchword around the club is “dynasty”, which tells you nobody inside London Colney is interested in treating last season as a one-off.
Europe is a little harder to predict. I’d love to think we’re capable of another run to the Champions League final because, on our day, I genuinely believe we can beat anyone. Equally, knockout football has a habit of laughing in the face of logic. Last season’s draw certainly helped, and there are years when the calendar simply conspires against English clubs. The Invincibles couldn’t conquer Europe either. Sometimes the margins are just that fine. And yes, I’m still bitter.
Last year I wrote about the need to cut out the stupid red cards and self-inflicted damage. Fair play to the players, they responded emphatically. Arsenal became the first team to win the Premier League without receiving a red card or conceding a penalty. That discipline, perhaps more than anything else, reflected a team that had grown up.
Fitness now feels like the biggest variable. The overhaul of the medical and sports science departments suggests Arteta agrees. Even during a title-winning season, Arsenal had to navigate a lengthy injury list, and by the time they reached Budapest there were simply too many players either running on fumes or trying to rediscover full sharpness. The squad is deeper now and should cope better with the inevitable bumps in the road, but with William Saliba and Jurrien Timber already sidelined, there isn’t an endless supply of good fortune to draw upon.
The excuses have largely disappeared. The squad is stronger. The manager is wiser. The club knows what it takes to get over the line. Now comes the difficult bit, proving last season wasn’t the peak, it was the beginning.
LEWIS AMBROSE
I think Arsenal should be favourites to win the league and successfully defend the title for the first time since the 1930s, which puts into perspective what an incredible achievement it would be.
There’s no room for complacency – weird things can happen with injuries, decisions, the dodgy bounce of a ball – and I do think going back-to-back will require more goals. With Saliba out, I suspect Arsenal will concede more. Bruno adds creativity. There should already be a leap in our attacking play and output if just two (and I’m hoping for three!) of Odegaard, Havertz, Saka stay fit this time around.
More eyes will be on the glorious, shiny, big-eared European pot this time around. We have the depth but, at least for now, I can’t help but wonder about the firepower and if it’s enough to get over the line in that competition as well as in the league.
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