Arsenal Season predictions 2025-2026

I think it’s three weeks until our first league game of the season, therefore it’s time to bring this out


Premier League: 2nd (behind Man City)
Champions League: Runners up
FA Cup: 4th Round
League Cup: don’t care
Mind the gap?: Yep but surely they’ll do better than the last few years
Arsenal top scorer: Havertz
Most assists: Rice or Odegaard
Most cock-ups: Zubimendi
Breakthrough player: Max Dowman (when he’s actually able to play)


Looking at my predictions for last season I was pretty accurate in where we finished (2nd), where we got to in Champions League (semis) and how far we’d get in the Fa cup.

I do have big reservations for this season (no bigger than last season). I don’t think we’ve done enough so far to improve our XG in the league (which was something like 74 overall), we need a creative midfielder so that we aren’t relying on Rice and Odegaard to break mid and low blocks, as much as I like Martinelli he’s a player for transition play so we need a stronger left winger as well who can win the ball deep.
And although Partey was an albatross around our neck, I fear that both Norgaard and Zubimendi could be vulnerable to pace leaving our back four exposed.
Gyokeres? Well I just have to hope that he’s the first premier league striker from the Portuguese league to not be a flop only fit for mid table teams.
I think Liverpool have improved up front but that wasn’t the problem for them, I think defensively they are going to struggle. City seem like the most complete package, I think the return of Rodri simply cannot be overestimated and although they will miss De Bruyne he hadn't been the same player. It’s not so much what we have done or failed to do in the transfer market, City are still the best team in the league with Rodri fit and if that remains the case no one is going to be able to touch them.

Premier League: 1st
Champions League: QF
FA Cup: 5th Round
League Cup: Winners
Mind the gap?: Tottenham start as relegation candidates in my mind so massively so
Arsenal top scorer: Gyokeres.
Most assists: Saka
Most cock-ups: Calafiori
Breakthrough player: Dowman is the obvious choice here.

I think Gyokeres will get 10 league goals by mid-October tbh

If Arsenal don't win it, it will be Liverpool. Man City defensively are still appalling and the players they've brought in are not as good as what they used to have.

I think City were missing the defensive protection Rodri gave them. I think the Ballon d’or was merited, I do genuinely think he’s the best player in the world currently. I don’t think the players they’ve recruited are great but it just bolsters their squad.
I think it’s impossible to predict how many goals Gyokeres will get. Im
minded to say he may not get ten goals in the league all season (which I’ve no doubt people will think is a ridiculous prediction) but because he’s been playing in such an inferior league and having to make that adaption at 27 will be hard. But I’ll be the first to put my hands up if I’m wrong. I certainly think whoever we bought would be crowded out for space without more creative presence in the team.

My feeling with Gyokeres is he'll come out absolutely blasting goals but then teams will be a bit more reserved so they'll probably taper off for a bit.

Teams will need to be more aggressive in their own attacking so spaces will open so he'll start putting him in again.

I think 10 goals all season in the league is very, very conservative. But still an improvement on what we had last season. :bow:

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Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

My feeling with Gyokeres is he'll come out absolutely blasting goals but then teams will be a bit more reserved so they'll probably taper off for a bit.

Teams will need to be more aggressive in their own attacking so spaces will open so he'll start putting him in again.

I think 10 goals all season in the league is very, very conservative. But still an improvement on what we had last season. :bow:

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Yes I almost forgot about that. Crikey

I like goals being shared around but that was ridiculous.

I think in 2023/2024 (or the half of the season where we won 16 out of 18) we were able in many ways to use set pieces to open the scoring and I think a lot of sides are used to that. Gyokeres got a lot of his goals last season from turning very immobile centre halves who are holding a very high line…he’s not going to be able to do that in the premier league.
I know that it’s blasphemy on here to say it, but Rice at no8 doesn’t work when we are playing defensive and stubborn teams, I’d be minded to play him at 6 in those games and then if we sign an Eze play him alongside Odegaard or Nwaneri (after his disgraceful season last season, pressure really is on Odegaard to up his level)

Arteta will of course insist on playing Zubimendi and Rice in every game because he’s a stubborn fool and that is another reason why I don’t think we will win the title

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Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

My feeling with Gyokeres is he'll come out absolutely blasting goals but then teams will be a bit more reserved so they'll probably taper off for a bit.

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I think it will be the opposite - given we've some pretty tricky fixtures to start with, I think he'll need to find his feet, get the hang of the PL and learn our game - then after a few games I think he'll start to kick on

It will be interesting to see if he starts vs Man Ure - i suspect Arteta's inclination would be to start with Havertz and bring Big Vic on at around 65-70 mins but there will be such a clamour for him to start it will be a controversial decision - that said it's an away game so maybe he'll get away with it

He does at least have two friendlies at the Emirates so will get some game time then

Premier League: 3rd (behind Citeh and Liverpool)
Champions League: Finalists, whether or not we win on the day is too random to call
FA Cup: 6th round
League Cup: 6th round
Mind the gap?: Now we've got Vic then yes, but I'm afraid Spuds will be exponentially better under Frank
Arsenal top scorer: Big Vic
Most assists: Saka
Most cock-ups: Arteta
Breakthrough player: I'd love to see Josh Nicholls get more game time - he looked very good in pre-season last year and we really pought to have used him at RB sometimes instead of Partey - apparently he's doing well in pre-season again - he's older than Dowman so should be given opportunities

Premier League: 2nd (behind Liverpool)
Champions League: Runners up
FA Cup: 5th Round
League Cup: Semis
Mind the gap?: Of course
Arsenal top scorer: Gyokeres
Most assists: Saka
Most cock-ups: Zubimendi
Breakthrough player: Madueke

I was a bit torn about our EPL place. Trying to ignore Liverpool's signings and/or hoping that there might be too many cooks in the forward department and that they have a worse defence than us. I do believe that but for our key injuries we would have challenged them properly for the title last season, and I don't think that there's much difference between us and them really. But while I'm enthused about our signings I am a bit concerned that we have totally overhauled our CM, and that the players we have brought in will take time to master Arteta's complex tactical approach. This and our brutal start might hobble us a bit. I think Zubi might be the player most affected in this regard. Also, we desperately need Odegard back to his best. If he isn't then I think we will struggle to win the league.

I think we will be perhaps a better CL side than an EPL side, given our defensive capabilities and now greater depth (*if Cala can be more robust).

We should go deeper in the cup comps with greater squad depth but Arteta's history here since we won the FA Cup last is poor.

I'm excited to see what Madueke can do for us. By all accounts the club/manager has been far more keen to do this deal than the fans, and I am really hoping that they get this one right.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

My feeling with Gyokeres is he'll come out absolutely blasting goals but then teams will be a bit more reserved so they'll probably taper off for a bit.

Teams will need to be more aggressive in their own attacking so spaces will open so he'll start putting him in again.

I think 10 goals all season in the league is very, very conservative. But still an improvement on what we had last season. :bow:

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Yup, fully agree with this. It's the way of most strikers, they have patches where they are scoring and those where they are quiet....the real good ones manage to contribute even in those quiet periods and more importantly keep those bareen spells to the minimum....not the crap Jesus (or should I say Arteta) has put us through for the last 3 years.

So I think your predictions on 10 goals before the end of October isn't far fetched, also your point that they'll taper out after a while, a bit like Haaland last season.

He'll do a minimum of 20 goals in the EPL this season, the question is will he spread them out enough for them to mean something, like the way Saka use too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IBK

Premier League: 2nd (behind Liverpool)
Champions League: Runners up
FA Cup: 5th Round
League Cup: Semis
Mind the gap?: Of course
Arsenal top scorer: Gyokeres
Most assists: Saka
Most cock-ups: Zubimendi
Breakthrough player: Madueke

I was a bit torn about our EPL place. Trying to ignore Liverpool's signings and/or hoping that there might be too many cooks in the forward department and that they have a worse defence than us. I do believe that but for our key injuries we would have challenged them properly for the title last season, and I don't think that there's much difference between us and them really. But while I'm enthused about our signings I am a bit concerned that we have totally overhauled our CM, and that the players we have brought in will take time to master Arteta's complex tactical approach. This and our brutal start might hobble us a bit. I think Zubi might be the player most affected in this regard. Also, we desperately need Odegard back to his best. If he isn't then I think we will struggle to win the league.

I think we will be perhaps a better CL side than an EPL side, given our defensive capabilities and now greater depth (*if Cala can be more robust).

We should go deeper in the cup comps with greater squad depth but Arteta's history here since we won the FA Cup last is poor.

I'm excited to see what Madueke can do for us. By all accounts the club/manager has been far more keen to do this deal than the fans, and I am really hoping that they get this one right.

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Pretty decent predictions and I also believe Zubimendi will struggle in the begining and lead the early cockups chart.

I just hope he's enough of a professional to ignore the criticisms he'll get from haters like Gary Neville and rise beyond his mistakes and adapt his game. Hopefully Merino's personality will rub off on him a little bit.

I also think like you guys, that with Gyokores, we've got a real chance at cups now, even if the league ends up being out of our reach quite early.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IBK

(*if Cala can be more robust).

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as if...

he's a dud, we need to see if we can sell in January

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

Yup, fully agree with this. It's the way of most strikers, that have patches where they are scoring and those where they are quiet....the real good ones manage to contribute even in those quiet periods and more importantly keep those bareen spells to the minimum....not the crap Jesus (or should I say Arteta) has put us through for the last 3 years.

So I think your predictions on 10 goals before the end of October isn't far fetched, also your point that they'll taper out after a while, a bit like Haaland last season.

He'll do a minimum of 20 goals in the EPL this season, the question is will he spread them out enough for them to mean something, like the way Saka use too.

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The real hope is that not only will Gyok score plenty of goals in his own right (how many times have we lamented good build up play but either no options at the end in the box, or noone to get on the end of final passes) but he will open up space for our other players to exploit. I think having a striker who will always make runs (he never stopped when we played Porto in the CL IIRC), and whose biggest asset is his sprinting in behind and into channels will help pull defences apart and be an antidote to the very well drilled defences that we often struggle against. There are question marks over his first touch, but having a target for our more technical players to aim for who is always in and around the box should surely improve us.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mac76

as if...

he's a dud, we need to see if we can sell in January

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Problem is getting a decent fee for an injury prone player. He needs to sort out his knee!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IBK

Problem is getting a decent fee for an injury prone player. He needs to sort out his knee!

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that's the thing I think people can get too hung up on a 'decent fee' - just get the fucker off the books, free up a squad space plus save whatever we're paying him every week

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

Yup, fully agree with this. It's the way of most strikers, that have patches where they are scoring and those where they are quiet....the real good ones manage to contribute even in those quiet periods and more importantly keep those bareen spells to the minimum....not the crap Jesus (or should I say Arteta) has put us through for the last 3 years.

So I think your predictions on 10 goals before the end of October isn't far fetched, also your point that they'll taper out after a while, a bit like Haaland last season.

He'll do a minimum of 20 goals in the EPL this season, the question is will he spread them out enough for them to mean something, like the way Saka use too.

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Well like I say above, I think it will be more of a modest start (which isn't to say hwe won't score some goals) and then he will find his feet and our players will get used to how to feed him

I really hope he doesn't play vs Spuds (whenever that game is - today?) but knowing Arteta he will and then they will be all out to injure him before the season starts.

ED: ok, so that game seems to be happening now - on a very bad quality pitch apparently - what could possibly go wrong... :rolleyes:

After a good start, we are making heavy weather of the pre season friendly against Sp*rs - not dealing well at all with the corners/crosses into the box....

We are going the long ball route to try to force goal opportunities...

Those f*cks have scored :crying: MLS mistake.

I mean. Who cares, really?
I'd forgotten this was on tbh (although I did talk to a colleague based on HK about it earlier)
He's a Spurs fan and couldn't get a ticket for L nor M.

Letters, you guys should probably move the posts above to the proper thread for this :good:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

Letters, you guys should probably move the posts above to the proper thread for this :good:

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Good shout. I'm not sure if I know how to do that! I think I'll just reply to the above in the right thread.

Premier League: doesn't matter (we'd finish 1st if we sacked Arteta during the season or he got a brain transplant)

Champions League: Best chance of serious silverware with the squad we have and the terrible way we set out to play

FA Cup: SF (could go further if my LC predictions don't happen)
League Cup: Champions ( funny right)
Mind the gap?: Yeah yeah, means less without a trophy
Arsenal top scorer: Gyokeres
Most assists: Saka or Gyokores
Most cock-ups: Zubimendi and Raya
Breakthrough player: Mosquera and Dowman


Waited till after the first round to gauge the opposition but I hardly thought I'd be this depressed after a win at OT.

I still think Liverpool, Citeh and Chelsea will make this a competitive and winnable league with no one outrightly running away with it but our manager remains the biggest thing holding us back instead of pushing us forward.

I really hope something happens early on that encourages a change in the way we approach games, but TBH, I've started lowering my expectations and preparing myself for the worst....which is more draws.


EDIT: Week 2 after confirming Eze:

Premier League: 1st
Champions League: at least SF
FA Cup: at least SF
League Cup: Champions
Mind the gap?: Yup
Arsenal top scorer: Gyokeres
Most assists: Saka or Eze
Most cock-ups: Zubimendi and Raya
Breakthrough player: Mosquera and Dowman

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

Premier League: doesn't matter (we'd finish 1st if we sacked Arteta during the season or he got a brain transplant)

Champions League: Best chance of serious silverware with the squad we have and the terrible way we set out to play

FA Cup: SF (could go further if my LC predictions don't happen)
League Cup: Champions ( funny right)
Mind the gap?: Yeah yeah, means less without a trophy
Arsenal top scorer: Gyokeres
Most assists: Saka or Gyokores
Most cock-ups: Zubimendi and Raya
Breakthrough player: Mosquera and Dowman


Waited till after the first round to gauge the opposition but I hardly thought I'd be this depressed after a win at OT.

I still think Liverpool, Citeh and Chelsea will make this a competitive and winnable league with no one outrightly running away with it but our manager remains the biggest thing holding us back instead of pushing us forward.

I really hope something happens early on that encourages a change in the way we approach games, but TBH, I've started lowering my expectations and preparing myself for the worst....which is more draws.

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FA Cup: 4th Round (Lego man will put out a weakened team and we will come unstuck)
League Cup: Champions (Dont care)
Mind the gap?: Dont bet on it
Arsenal top scorer: Havertz
Most assists: Saka
Most cock-ups: Raya
Breakthrough player: Max Dowman

Unless we get a new manager, this season will be dire.