How can Arsenal improve on this record-breaking year? In the 2023-24 campaign, they have recorded their most wins (28), most goals (91) and best goal difference (+62) ever in a Premier League season, but still fell short of their first title since 2004. Some connected to the club could be forgiven for feeling a little demoralised at being in the shadow of the relentless juggernaut that is 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 only just getting started.
“When you see what they're doing on the court, on game day, and the way they connect, our new pregame anthem, you feel the energy change,” he told ESPN.
“It all starts with a feeling. It's like starting a train. It takes a lot of coal. You start it and suddenly you hear a clatter, a clatter.” [motions wheels turning]And once the train starts moving it is difficult to stop it, and right now our train is leaving the station.”
The ultimate goal Arsenal are aiming to achieve is to end a two-decade wait for a league title. Pep Guardiola's City will once again start as heavy favourites, so how can Arsenal go forward to ensure they finish top? This is where the Gunners have looked for marginal gains to take that final step towards glory.
Pre-preseason
According to sources who have told ESPN, Arteta and his coaching staff believe an eight-week break is too long for elite athletes to maintain peak fitness. And so, while the majority of his squad were away in international action at Euro 2024 or the Copa America, Arteta took nine first-team players to Marbella in early July for what was effectively a pre-season prelude. Those involved worked on their conditioning, but an effort was made to ensure a sense of work-life balance: sources say families were invited on the trip, at least one barbecue was held and players had most evenings to themselves to do as they pleased.
Sources have also told ESPN that Arteta's message to the squad has been to either “come to pre-season to prepare, or start pre-season ready” so they can hit the ground running when the serious stuff begins against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. Arteta has stated his belief that there are clear signs that the high levels of determination and hunger within the group have not been diminished by two near-misses, with City having twice beaten them to claim the title.
Summer signings
Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal's internal analysis pointed to left-back as an obvious area for improvement. Jurrien Timber's knee injury on the opening day of last season – the £34m signing from Ajax only returned for the final game of the campaign – was a major blow to their planning. It led to a situation where Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu all came on as substitutes, with mixed results. The uncertainty led rivals to target Arsenal's left-back as an exploitable weakness.
Timber’s return, combined with the £42m acquisition of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna, emphatically strengthens that position. It’s possible that both Kiwior and Zinchenko could leave before the summer transfer deadline, as Califiori’s versatility – the Italian international can play at centre-back or left-back – could create an opportunity to recoup some cash if a suitable offer is received.
Related to that point about the defensive line, centre-back William Saliba was one of only three Arsenal players to play every minute in last season's Premier League. Sources have told ESPN that Arteta believes more rotation may be necessary, especially in the latter stages of the season, if Arsenal continue to compete on multiple fronts.
The only league game Arsenal lost in 2024 was at home to Aston Villa, a game that was played between the two Champions League quarter-final legs against Bayern Munich. They were knocked out of European competition three days after losing to Villa. These are fine margins, of course, but a bit more quality would allow Arteta to rotate and maintain the intensity of his group. It was noticeable, for example, that they managed just one win in five Champions League away games last season.
Arteta has previously mentioned his desire to work with a slightly smaller group of around 20 outfield players with a more interchangeable level of quality, similar to that of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Last season, Arsenal used the fewest players in the Premier League with 25, a figure equalled by Fulham and City.
Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal are in talks to sign Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad, with Arteta keen on signing the midfielder who helped Spain win Euro 2024 to ease Declan Rice's burden in midfield.
Arsenal are thinking more fluidly when it comes to signing attacking reinforcements. Kai Havertz surprised the club with his ability to play through the centre last season, and Arteta admitted in April that “when things are flowing, you have to let them go”, referring to the progress of his new-look side. Havertz scored nine goals and provided nine assists in Arsenal’s final 17 Premier League games of the season, easing the pressure on their search for a striker this summer.
Gabriel Jesus returned to pre-season in promising form, while Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli could also play in the middle if needed. Eddie Nketiah has been deemed surplus to requirements but has yet to make his way out of the club.
Arsenal have been weighing up whether to sign a striker or a winger. Benjamin Šeško had already attracted interest before signing a new contract with RB Leipzig, while the Gunners opted not to pursue their long-standing interest in Pedro Neto, who left Wolves for Chelsea earlier this week. They remain open to signing a player with two weeks to go but do not feel under great pressure to act.
More confidence in the academy
There has been frustration among Arsenal supporters that several promising academy prospects have been allowed to leave this summer, including Amario Cozier-Duberry, Reuell Walters and Chido Obi-Martin.
Arteta has shown some reluctance to trust youngsters with first-team responsibility, although in the case of Obi-Martin, sources have suggested there were financial reasons behind the striker's proposed move to Manchester United.
Two promising prospects, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, could provide a further boost. Nwaneri became the youngest player to appear in the Premier League in September 2022, aged 15 years and 181 days. The midfielder, now 17, showed potential in pre-season (as did Lewis-Skelly, also 17) and both will be hoping for opportunities to help Arsenal's first team progress this season.
More broadly, sources have told ESPN that there is a radical shift in Arsenal's approach to signing young talent, looking to invest more aggressively to help boost the pipeline of talent coming out of the club's Hale End academy in the coming years.
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There is also the possibility that Arsenal do not need to surpass last season’s 89 points to win the title. Arteta has spoken (with a wry smile) about aiming to pick up the maximum 114 points possible and work up from there, and that is a reflection of the standards City have set; their six title-winning campaigns were achieved with points totals of: 100, 98, 86, 93, 89 and 91.
Of course, there is the possibility that City could record a similar total again and they are rightly favourites, but there is more uncertainty surrounding City heading into this new season than in previous years.
The departure of Julian Alvarez and a serious injury to young winger Oscar Bobb leave the reigning champions struggling in the transfer market. Guardiola is entering the final year of his contract, while City will also begin defending themselves against 115 alleged breaches of Premier League rules next month in a case that threatens to drag on for the entire season.
Arsenal, by contrast, are in a quieter situation. Arteta has also entered the final year of his contract, but there remains a widespread expectation that he will sign a new deal. The manager himself hinted at this in an interview with ESPN earlier this summer.
There is a sense that the Gunners remain on an upward trajectory with a young and vibrant squad ready to break new ground. Time will tell if they can do so.
