How can Arsenal top a record year this time? In 2023/24 they recorded the most wins (28), most goals (91) and the best ever goal difference (plus 62) in a Premier League season, but still missed out on a first title since 2004. Some associated with the club could be forgiven for feeling a little demoralised by being in the shadow of relentless might Manchester City – who have won a record four consecutive titles and six of the last seven – but Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke believes the Gunners are just getting started.
“When you see what they do out there on the field on game day and how they connect with our new pregame anthem, you can feel the energy changing,” he told ESPN.
Editor's recommendations
2 relatives
“It starts with a feeling. It's like starting a train. You need a lot of money. You get the thing going and then it's chugging, chugging [motions wheels turning]and once the train starts moving, it is difficult to stop, and right now our train is leaving the station.”
The ultimate goal Arsenal want to achieve: end a two-decade wait for the league title. Pep Guardiola's City side will once again go in as hot favourites, so how can Arsenal attack and ensure they finish at the top? Here, the Gunners have been looking for small advantages to take that final step to glory.
Preseason
Sources have told ESPN that Arteta and his coaching staff believe an eight-week break is too long for elite athletes to maintain peak physical condition. And so, in early July, while the majority of his squad was away at Euro 2024 or the Copa America, Arteta took nine first-team players to Marbella, which served as a pre-season training camp. Those involved worked on their fitness, but an attempt was also made to ensure some work-life balance: sources say families were invited on the trip, at least one barbecue was hosted, and the players had most of the evenings to themselves to do as they pleased.
Sources have also told ESPN that Arteta's message to the squad was that they either “come to prepare or start preparing” so they can hit the ground running when things get serious against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. Arteta has explained that he believes there are clear signs that the great determination and hunger within the group has not been diminished by two near-wins when City twice snatched the title from their grasp.
Arsenal are preparing to finally beat Manchester City in the Premier League title race at the third attempt, with this season being their best chance yet. Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
New arrivals in summer
Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal's internal analysis has identified left-back as an obvious area for improvement. Jurriën Timbers' knee injury on the opening day of last season – the £34m signing from Ajax only returned for the final game of the season – was a major blow to their planning. It led to a situation where Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu all had to step in, with mixed results. The uncertainty led to opponents targeting Arsenal's left side as an exploitable weakness.
Timber's return and the signing of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna for £42million strengthens that position once again. It is possible that either Kiwior or Zinchenko could leave before the summer transfer deadline, as Califiori's versatility – the Italy international can play as a centre-back or left-back – could provide an opportunity to recoup some money if a suitable offer comes in.
Related to that point about the back line, centre-back William Saliba was one of only three Arsenal players to play every minute last Premier League season. Sources have told ESPN that Arteta believes a little more rotation may be needed, particularly towards the end of the season if Arsenal are still to be competitive on several fronts.
The only league game Arsenal lost in 2024 was a home match against Aston Villa, a match sandwiched between their two Champions League quarter-final legs against Bayern Munich. Three days after the defeat to Villa, they were eliminated from the European Cup. These are of course close margins, but a bit more quality would allow Arteta to rotate and maintain the intensity of his group. For example, it was noticeable that they only managed to win one of five Champions League away games last season.
Arteta had previously stated that he wanted to work with a slightly smaller group of around 20 outfield players who are of a more interchangeable level of quality, similar to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Last season, Arsenal used the fewest number in the Premier League with 25 players – a figure that is on a par with Fulham and City.
Arsenal's first six games
| Sat., Aug. 17 | 15:00 | Wolves (H) |
| Sat., Aug. 24 | 17:30 | Aston Villa (a) |
| Sat., Aug. 31 | 12:30 | Brighton (H) |
| Sun., 15 September | 14:00 | Tottenham |
| Saturday, September 22 | 16:30 | Manchester City (a) |
| Saturday, September 28 | 15:00 | Leicester (H) |
| Kick-off times are displayed as in the UK | ||
Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal are in talks to sign Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad, with Arteta keen to sign the midfielder, who helped Spain win Euro 2024, to relieve Declan Rice in midfield.
Arsenal are thinking more flexibly when it comes to signing reinforcements for the attack. Kai Havertz surprised the club last season with his ability to play through the middle and Arteta admitted in April that “you have to let go when it flows” when referring to his new-look team getting going. Havertz scored nine goals and provided nine assists in Arsenal's final 17 Premier League games of the season, easing the pressure in their search for a striker this summer.
Gabriel Jesus returned to preseason in promising form, while Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli could also play in midfield if required. Eddie Nketiah is considered surplus to requirements but has not yet been able to leave the club.
Arsenal have been considering whether to sign a striker or a winger. Benjamin Šeško was of interest before he signed a new contract at RB Leipzig, while the Gunners decided not to pursue their long-standing interest in Pedro Neto, who left Wolves earlier this week to join Chelsea. They are still open to a new signing with two weeks to go before the end of the transfer window, but do not feel under much pressure to act.
More trust in the academy
There was frustration among Arsenal fans that several promising young players were allowed to leave the academy this summer, including Amario Cozier-Duberry, Reuell Walters and Chido Obi-Martin.
Arteta has been somewhat reluctant to give young players the responsibility of playing for the first team, although sources have suggested in the case of Obi-Martin that there were financial reasons behind the striker's planned move to Manchester United.
New impetus could come from two promising talents: Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Nwaneri became the youngest player to ever play in the Premier League in September 2022 at 15 years and 181 days. The midfielder, now 17, showed promising performances in preseason – as did Lewis-Skelly, also 17 – and both will hope for opportunities to help Arsenal's first team progress this season.
Sources have also told ESPN that Arsenal are undergoing a sea change in their approach to signing young talent, with the company looking to invest more aggressively to increase the influx of talent from the club's Hale End Academy in the coming years.
1:56
Is an era coming to an end for Man City?
Gab & Juls talk about Julian Alvarez's move to Atlético Madrid and the end of Pep Guardiola's contract at Man City.
Will Man City finally make a slip-up?
There is also the possibility that Arsenal will not need to surpass last season's points tally of 89 to win the title. Arteta has spoken (with a wry smile) of wanting to target the maximum possible 114 points and work his way back from there, and that reflects the standards City have set; their six title-winning seasons have been achieved with points tally of 100, 98, 86, 93, 89 and 91.
Of course, there is a chance City can reach a similar total again and they will rightly go in as favourites. But there is more uncertainty about City at the start of this new season than in previous years.
The departure of Julian Álvarez and the serious injury of young winger Oscar Bobb leave the reigning champions in trouble in the market. Guardiola is entering the final year of his contract, while City must begin defending themselves next month against 115 alleged breaches of Premier League rules, a case that threatens to drag on throughout the season.
At Arsenal, however, the situation is calmer. Arteta has also entered the final year of his contract, but it is still widely expected that he will sign a new deal. The manager himself hinted at this in an interview with ESPN earlier this summer.
There is a feeling that the Gunners are still on course for success with a young, dynamic team ready to try new things. Time will tell if they can do that.
Comments are closed.