At the fourth time of asking, Arsenal secured the Premier League title in their third race against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City last season.
Previously, they fell to the Cityzens in 2022/23 after leading for the campaign’s bulk, again in 2023/24, then to a Mohamed Salah-led Liverpool in 2024/25.
The Gunners, who secured the English top-flight crown with 85 points in May, have never retained the Premier League title, however, their quest to do so now appears slightly easier, and less expensive, following an accidental discovery versus Aston Villa.
Do Arsenal really need a left winger?
Mikel Arteta’s men emerged victorious on Monday evening, taking home three points following a 1-0 victory at Villa Park.
New signing Christos Tzolis, who began his Gunners career with two assists in Arsenal's Community Shield final victory versus Manchester City, was hooked at half-time against Villa, with the score tied at 0-0.
In came Eberechi Eze, who featured on the left wing for the second half’s duration, in which Arsenal took the lead, and then maintained it, through Bukayo Saka.
Arteta’s side are not short on attacking depth, despite the loss of youngster Ethan Nwaneri to Borussia Dortmund on loan, and the departure of Gabriel Martinelli to Saudi Arabia.
That was evidenced by both players being absent from the Community Shield final squad, in which the North London club ran riot from an offensive perspective, scoring three in under 50 minutes.
On the bench that day were Eze, Saka, Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice, with Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Bruno Guimaraes and Tzolis handed starts versus Enzo Maresca’s side.
And with Eze’s appearance against Villa, it appears that any fears regarding reinforcement on the left flank have been alleviated, with the Englishman well-adjusted to challenge for the role.
The statistics painted a clear picture: 80% pass accuracy, three duels won, seven carries for a total distance of almost 100 metres, one of which being progressive, and six kilometres covered.
And, more importantly, three points for the Gunners after a dominant second half — limiting the chasing Villans to 0.24 Expected Goals (xG) while Arteta’s side racked up 0.7, and bagged the deciding goal.
Much has been made of Arsenal’s strength in the position, yet Eze’s appearance now certainly warrants consideration as an alternate to Tzolis.
The Gunners reportedly tried their luck with Malick Fofana at Lyon, but were rebuffed after low-balling for the player. That appears to have allowed Sunderland to sign the winger for a price the French club deem more acceptable, in one of the strongest deals of the summer transfer window.
Positioned second in the Premier League table, and yet to concede a goal, the future appears bright for Arteta’s side. And fans would be forgiven for interpreting Eze’s cameo as a firm statement — Arsenal can retain their top-flight title, and they already hold all the necessary keys to do so.
