It's your Arsenal season preview, with the Gunners chasing a first Premier League title in over 20 years…
FourFourTwo's Arsenal season preview
FFT's view
The Plan
Win the thing. The last time Arsenal finished 2nd three years in a row, they broke the cycle by lifting the Double in 2001/02.
PREMIER LEAGUE 2nd
FA CUP Third Round
LEAGUE CUP Semi-final
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Semi-final
TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Kai Havertz (15)
Frankly, Mikel Arteta would give a limb for half that success, to end his vibrant team’s bridesmaid status by hook or by crook. A lack of goals is well-publicised – no Gunner hit double figures in the league last term – and so is the packed treatment room in which seven players required operations, so going another summer without signing a striker would be an act of self-sabotage bordering on the Guardiola. Yet hope is still immensely high for this project. Arteta, ranked at no.7 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, knows that very little needs to be done to improve this team.
The Coach
It would be churlish to call Mikel Arteta anything other than a world-class operator, despite the lack of silverware. He has regularly outsmarted the elite and built a team that embodies the club he served as captain. Now for a major honour in front of the fans...
Key player
No matter the arrivals, Arsenal’s best player is still an academy winger who worked his way up from full-back.
Bukayo Saka defines this team: intelligent, physical and graceful. And he’s still only 23, so, irreplaceable or not, he needs protecting from overuse after last year’s injury.
Lesson from last year
Arsenal lack transitional threat, central incision and dominance in the opposition’s box. Defend in a mid-block and the Gunners have few answers. Signing an actual striker would fix those that – hello, Mr Gyokeres – but Arteta may again prefer evolution and/or Mikel Merino up front.
This preview originally appeared in FourFourTwo's Season Preview issue which went on sale in July, available here with free delivery
Elsewhere, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have been revelations, while Martin Zubimendi is a major acquisition to revamp midfield dynamics. Balance is the buzzword, between their recent physical style and the free-flowing fluidity of the past. And keeping Bukayo Saka fit is a must: in 2024/25, he had the most assists and chances created per 90 minutes in the top flight.
The Mood
Largely positive. Statement wins over Manchester City (5-1) and Real Madrid (3-0) showed the potential. But, with stars now entering their prime, patience will be tested if there’s another barren campaign.
One to watch
Riccardo Calafiori, the new-age Nesta. Injuries held him back and Lewis-Skelly has snatched his chain, but as a tough tackler given licence to roam into the attack, the 23-year-old Italian offers much-needed unpredictability.
Most likely to…
Make you feel ancient.
TITLE ODDS 5/2
Expect a debut for Max Dowman, 15, who was born the week after Rage Against The Machine beat The X Factor’s Joe McElderry to Christmas No.1. There are contents in the FFT fridge older than he is.
Least likely to…
Inspire anyone with a tifo. The giant cannon banner ahead of the home leg of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final against PSG was so hilariously naff that it may well have deflated the team instead of rousing them. Ousmane Dembele scoring after four minutes was probably no coincidence.
FFT verdict
3RD Well, it isn’t 2nd again... A fit Saka will help Arsenal in a genuine title race, but their rivals look stronger.
The number cruncher
The fan view
Are Arsenal genuine title contenders? We got the view from the stands, with Gooner, Tim Stillman…
Last season was ruined mainly by injuries, but also by red cards and not reinforcing the attack. We need more threat.
Our most underrated player is Kai Havertz. He essentially plays in three positions at once, and makes the team tick.
The pantomime villain will be Marc Cucurella. He tries to do a hatchet job on Saka. It rarely works. And he has annoying hair.
The opposition player who grinds my gears is Bruno Fernandes. He’s an incessant whiner, and the only player denying us the fun of Manchester United being properly dragged into a relegation fight.
The active player I’d love to have back is pre-knee injury Gabriel Jesus. For a couple of months, he changed what we were capable of.
The one change I’d make would be ticket pricing. Like lots of clubs, prices are starting to creep up again by stealth, such as fewer games on the season ticket.
I’m most looking forward to visiting Budapest’s Puskas Arena for the Champions League Final.
A social media account to follow is Poorly Drawn Arsenal (on BlueSky and Instagram) – very funny, MS Paint-based scribbles.
Fans think our gaffer is an elite coach, but still with rough edges to file in resource management. We’ve been building towards something big, but now it has to happen.
If he left, he should be replaced by Luis Enrique. Keep an eye on Jorginho, who’ll coach after retiring.
We’ll finish 1st. It’s time.
These previews originally appeared in FourFourTwo's Season Preview issue which went on sale in July, available here with free delivery
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