Arsenal enter the 2026/27 Premier League season as defending champions, after ending their 21-year wait for the trophy.
The Gunners finally got their hands on the title after three years of going close, including two agonising runners-up finishes. Now they’ll be looking to retain the top-flight title for just the third time in their history.
Mikel Arteta has a solid base on which to build the title defence, and it’s set to be an intriguing season for Arsenal and their star players.
Get all the Arsenal stats to build up to the 2026/27 Premier League, plus the transfer business, manager and tactical information for the Gunners here.
Arsenal opening fixtures 2026/27 Premier League
The defending champions get the Premier League season underway with the first match, against newly-promoted Coventry City. It’s a case of champions against champions, and a good way for Arsenal to open the campaign. Their first away game of the season is a tricky trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa. Arsenal open September with a London derby against Chelsea at the Emirates, before facing Sunderland then Brighton and Hove Albion to round of their opening five matches.
| Date | Opponent | Kick-off |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 21st August | Coventry (H) | 8pm |
| Monday 31st August | Aston Villa (A) | 8pm |
| Sunday 6th September | Chelsea (H) | 4:30pm |
| Saturday 12th September | Sunderland (A) | 8pm |
| Saturday 19th September | Brighton (A) | 3pm |
Arsenal’s key players for 2026/27 Premier League
Arsenal top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Viktor Gyokeres
- Key stat: Viktor Gyokeres was the only Arsenal player to hit double digits for Premier League goals in 2025/26 (14).
Viktor Gyokeres came under a lot of criticism last season, but he still managed to score 14 goals in his maiden Premier League campaign. Only three of those came from penalties too, with eight from open play. The Swedish striker does have competition in his position from Kai Havertz, who was favoured towards the end of the 2025/26 campaign. But Gyokeres looks set to be Arsenal’s main goalscoring hopes again, with 22 shots on target from 55 efforts in total.
Arsenal primary playmaker: Bukayo Saka
- Key stat: Bukayo Saka averaged 2.47 chances created per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season.
All eyes will be on Bukayo Saka and whether he can stay fit throughout the whole season. Although he only missed seven league matches, Saka’s 2,225 minutes played trailed Arsenal’s other big hitters by some distance. But, despite playing over 800 minutes less than Declan Rice, Saka only trailed his compatriot by two chances created. He also provided the same about of assists, and created 12 big chances. This averaged out to 2.47 chances created per 90, 0.49 of which were big chances.
Arsenal card magnet and top tackler: Jurrien Timber
- Key stat: Jurrien Timber averaged 2.42 tackles per 90 in the league last season.
Jurrien Timber was another player Arsenal fans didn’t get to see as much as they would have liked. The Dutchman missed key parts of Arsenal’s game through injury, though he was a big part of their title win. Timber was one of the best full-backs in the Premier League last season, averaging 2.42 tackles per 90. In totals, his 66 was only bettered at Arsenal by Martin Zubimendi (68) and Rice (70). But both players made over 600 more minutes than the Dutchman.
Arsenal rising star: Max Dowman
Of course, Max Dowman is the Arsenal star for the future. He had his moments for the Gunners last season in what was a record-breaking campaign, and now he’ll be looking to build on it. While Dowman certainly won’t be a starter, or even push for the role, this is a chance for him to become more of a squad player with regular appearances off the bench.
Arsenal 2026 summer transfers
Arsenal have been pretty busy to date, looking to improve their title-winning squad. Piero Hincapie has joined permanently after his loan move in 2025/26, while Christos Tzolis has come in to provide depth at left-wing. Illan Meslier has also joined the goalkeeping roster.
Leandro Trossard has left the club, though, ending a fine spell at the Emirates Stadium. Jakub Kiwior and Karl Hein have also departed, after loan moves last season.
Arsenal tactical analysis and formation
Arsenal’s team stats (average per game in 2025/26 Premier League)
- Corners: 5.68
- Shots on target: 4.92
- Shots on target conceded: 2.37
- Offsides: 1.61
Arteta has a squad that is capable of playing in a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, both from the start of matches and with in-game switches. He has a core XI that worked well last season and there are unlikely to be many changes to it. One, though, is the arrival of Christos Tzolis combined with Leandro Trossard’s departure. Depending on any future arrivals, Tzolis may start on the left wing over Gabriel Martinelli, with Bukayo Saka on the left. Martin Odegaard might get the nod in the No.10 role to start off with, given how he can switch to a No.8 in a 4-3-3. Kai Havertz looks to be the favourite to lead the line right now.
Piero Hincapie played well on the left as a replacement for Riccardo Calafiori and it will be harsh for him to lose his spot for the new season. The rest of the defence should stay the same, including the best centre-back pairing of the Premier League right now — William Saliba and Gabriel. Declan Rice is a certain starter, while Martin Zubimendi will be hoping for a bigger season after his debut campaign.
Arsenal manager analysis
Mikel Arteta was thrown in at the deep end for his first manageriel role, taking over an Arsenal squad needing a big change. He took his time to get the Gunners up and running, even with an FA Cup success in his first season. The Gunners finished eighth in back-to-back seasons and their Champions League absence continued after a fifth-placed finish in 2021/22. Some Arsenal fans were calling for Arteta’s head.
But the Spaniard preached patience, with long-term work being done. And that is where Arteta has shone. Three second-placed finishes just showed Arsenal’s consistency and the foundations that Arteta was building. The payoff finally came off last season as Arsenal won the Premier League and reached the Champions League Final. Arteta has made Arsenal a tough team to play and one of the best in Europe right now.
| Manager | Team | P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | 352 | 212 | 68 | 72 |