By Jack Stewart
Eleven games into the Premier League season, Arsenal has looked like the team to beat. Sitting atop the table with 26 points, the Gunners are on track to secure their first league title since 2004. The team has been defined by their lockdown defense and led by standout new offensive signings like Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze. With a third of the season completed, all eyes are on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to finally bring a trophy back to North London.
So far, Arsenal’s hallmark has been their defense, anchored by Spanish keeper David Raya. Through the first eleven games, Raya has allowed only five goals with seven clean sheets this year. The center back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel has been the base of the best backline in Europe, and they both have an argument for being a top five defender in the world. In the midfield, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi have been great and provided balance to the starting eleven. For Rice, his current performance reflects a continuation of his standout 2024 campaign, as he continues to be a quality number for the Gunners. He’s also shown solid growth as he’s begun to take a stronger role in Arsenal’s attack, including four goal contributions as of now. In Zubimendi’s case, he’s been a strong addition to the team and has fulfilled his expensive €65 million transfer fee. Ever since joining from Real Sociedad in July of 2025, Zubimendi has found his place among the Arsenal squad as a strong defender and passer. He’s been critical both to the team’s defense and in buildup play, developing into a key part of this year’s success.
On the offensive side of the ball, Arsenal has shown a spark that was absent from last year’s team. For most of 2024, Arsenal played without a true striker; however, over the summer of 2025, they found their new number nine in Viktor Gyokeres. Gyokeres had an incredible 2024 campaign and has started off strong again, with four goals in ten matches for Arsenal. He bagged a brace in Arsenal’s dominant 5-0 victory over Leeds and kickstarted their critical 2-0 win over Burnley with an early goal. He’s filled a clear gap in Arsenal’s attack that hindered a lot of their 2024 success and has been the change that the Gunners clearly needed. The other major signing was Ebirechi Eze, who came over to Arsenal from fellow London side Crystal Palace. Eze was a standout part of a mediocre Place team, and his move north reflected a new stage in his career. In his revenge game against his former team, Eze scored the game-winning goal for Arsenal, securing the win over Crystal Palace. While he hasn’t been as dominant as Gyokeres, he’s shown flashes of a true offensive threat, and he’ll look to find his place among Arsenal’s front three as the season progresses.
With two-thirds of the season left to go, the pressure is on for Arsenal to finally win their first Prem title in two decades. Up to this point, Arsenal has been arguably the best team in Europe and is cruising through the Prem. The Gunners recently stalled out in a 2-2 draw against Sunderland, but this has been the squad’s first real misstep since a loss to Liverpool back in August. Looking forward, Arsenal has a critical Champions League matchup with Bayern Munich on November 26th, which will feature the two best teams in the world squaring up. In European play so far, Arsenal has been strong with four wins, including a statement 4-0 victory over Spanish side Atletico Madrid. The Gunners have never won a UCL trophy, and early showings from this team hint at this year being their first. Mikel Arteta’s eleven has been incredible this season, but with so much football left to play and Arsenal’s “choker” reputation, it’ll be exciting to see what’s in the future for this team.