REUTERS/Andrew Boyers
Arsenal’s 2026/27 Premier League campaign is just days away, with Mikel Arteta’s side aiming to retain their crown and secure back-to-back league titles for the first time since the 1930s.
The Gunners ended their 22-year wait for a league title last term, gazumping Manchester City in Pep Guardiola's final season as the Citizens' boss. They also toppled the north-west club in the season's curtain-raiser on Saturday, emerging from the Community Shield as 3-0 winners at the Millennium Stadium.
This result over Enzo Maresca's men came after a somewhat dubious pre-season for Arteta's team, which exposed some of their flaws heading into the new campaign.
With that said, here is everything we learned from Arsenal's run-up to the 2026/27 season.
Arsenal still need more attacking firepower
REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
As good as Arsenal looked against City, their previous three matches in pre-season all ended without victory. Conceding six goals across defeats to Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund, before being held by Como at the Emirates Stadium, might have raised alarm bells for Arteta.
While the Spaniard can probably compartmentalise these results due to the lack of key personnel who were away enjoying holidays after the World Cup, certain aspects of the games might have concerned him. Most notably, the Gunners looked incapable of threatening the opposition for long periods of these matches.
Ultimately, these offensive deficiencies highlighted the need to dip into the market again and strengthen the attack. The North London club are seemingly aware of this, but time is running out.
Bradley Barcola remains a viable option, with the player said to be keen on a move to the English capital despite the intense speculation linking him to Liverpool. The likes of Kenan Yildiz and Julian Alvarez continue to surface in conversations around potential targets, but Arsenal are yet to make a concrete move for either.
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Arsenal's Current Attacking Options
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Arsenal's defence is light on options
Cristhian Mosquera in action for Arsenal
Arsenal were without Jurrien Timber and William Saliba for the entirety of pre-season, leaving their options on the right-hand side of the defence extremely limited. The Dutchman is said to be a matter of weeks away from a return, while the Frenchman could be out for the first three or four months of the campaign.
In the duo's absence, Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera stepped up, but behind them, the Gunners are relying on inexperienced academy prospects. Theo Julienne and Marli Salmon started the final pre-season match against Como, and while the latter impressed, Arteta will surely be reluctant to use either player in meaningful games in the season proper.
If one of White or Mosquera were to sustain an injury in the next few days, the Arsenal manager would be forced to push someone into an unnatural position. One of Declan Rice or Martin Zubimendi would likely fill in at right-back, which is far from ideal, even if for just a matter of games.
Arsenal are clearly looking to address this shortage in their squad. Ezri Konsa remains a primary target, while Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah emerged as an option late last week.
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Statistical Comparison 2025/26 (League Only)
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A Declan Rice injury would hurt more than Mikel Arteta could imagine
Arsenal's Declan Rice via REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Midfield is where Arsenal were most hindered by World Cup absences throughout pre-season. Zubimendi, Rice, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze all joined up with the squad late, while Bruno Guimaraes only completed his move to the Emirates towards the end of pre-season.
This meant that Myles Lewis-Skelly was left to hold down the fort by himself in most games, with the teenager deployed alongside attacking midfielders like Ethan Nwaneri and Kai Havertz for the majority of the minutes. Unsurprisingly, this left the Gunners vulnerable in the middle of the park.
A recurring theme throughout pre-season was Arsenal's midfield getting bypassed, particularly in moments of transition, leaving opposition attackers driving at their back four in space. As good as Lewis-Skelly is in possession, he's not a particularly effective recovery defender, and this showed.
This problem also continued into the first half of the Community Shield, even with Guimaraes added to the mix. City were able to break past Arsenal's midfield and into space several times throughout the first half.
Declan Rice is evidently the man who prevents these moments from materialising when he starts. The England international has the remarkable ability to eat up ground when the opposition has breached Arsenal's midfield line, and win the ball back.
If Rice were to sustain an injury of any significance, Arsenal might seriously struggle to contain the opposition in transition.
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Fees correct prior to summer 2026
Myles Lewis-Skelly is a potential superstar who cannot be sold
Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
While he looked slightly susceptible to fast breaks when playing as a solo pivot in the first few matches, Lewis-Skelly showed his elite in-possession abilities throughout pre-season. Tasked with orchestrating Arsenal's build-up as the sole midfielder, he did this effectively and was a point of reference for the Gunners in this position.
The youngster was essentially on trial throughout this pre-season, and he passed with flying colours. Speculation surfaced online linking him with moves to Manchester United and Chelsea, hinting that Arsenal might be prepared to cash in after signing Guimaraes, and if the starlet failed to impress in pre-season.
Despite his excellent end to last season, the sample size of Lewis-Skelly in midfield was still too small to be sure about him in this role heading into the new season. Arsenal were looking for assurances with his displays in these friendlies, and he's certainly done enough to convince the key decision-makers at Highbury House that he is capable of being a prominent squad player for a team with Premier League and Champions League aspirations.
Arsenal simply cannot cash in on a player who could dominate their midfield for several years to come.
Arsenal players
Arsenal players