Premier League Preview: Arsenal

Last year’s finish: 2nd

First match: Sunday, August 17 11:30am ET @ Manchester United
Where they’ll be after five:
- 8 pts. with 2W, 2D, 1L

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. That’s one way to describe Arsenal. As manager Mikael Arteta put it: “We’ve had more points than any other team in this league… Now we have to do it in a season.” While the first part of that statement isn’t quite true (Manchester City has more points), it is true that Arsenal have finished second for three consecutive seasons. The last time they did that (between 1998-2001), they won the league the fourth season.

Transfer News

Not to be outdone in the 2025 “Battle of the Big Spenders”, Arsenal have pulled in seven new players for a total outlay of $253.6M. They’ve filled spots in all positions, from striker to goalkeeper, with an emphasis on midfielders and the spine.

In keeping with tradition, Arsenal looked to the castoffs of neighbor Chelsea, picking up three of the summer transfers from their trash bin.

Season Outlook

They are not winning the league, let’s get that out of the way. I honestly think they’ll come in second place once again, deepening the perpetual scowl on Arteta’s face even further. They should sweep up their first two over Man U and Leeds, but then they face Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, a tough stretch. And mid-week after that Champions League begins. There’s no rest for the Gunners, but no trophy either.

Key Players

Forward
- The usual crew from last year (Saka, Jesus, Havertz, Trossard and Martinelli) will continue to dance on the edges and make their probing runs, but now they’ll have a new target up top.
- Arsenal were missing a true striker last season, but the $87M signing of Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting should solve that issue.
- They’ve also secured Noni Madueke from Chelsea, though it’s not clear exactly how he’ll fit into their strategy.

Midfield
- Arsenal’s midfield was considered to be a bit thin last season, so they shored it up with Real Sociadad’s Martín Zubimendi and Brentford’s Christian Nørgaard.
- Martin Ødegaard had a relatively poor season by his standards (only 6g/11a) and will be keen to have greater impact after winning the captaincy once again.

Defense
- If there’s any big question, it’s on the stability and health of the Arsenal back line. They were wracked by injury last year, though Magalhães, Zinchenko, Calafiori, Timber and Kiwior all appear fit now.
- William Saliba is the only true center back in the stable, other that new signing Cristhian Mosquera. It will take some time for the 21-year old from Valencia to acclimate, but he’s got huge upside and we should see him sooner rather than later.

Goalkeeper
- David Raya retains the #1 spot, but behind him now is the World’s Most Expensive Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizbalaga, bought from Chelsea after a successful loan spell with Bournemouth.