It still feels slightly surreal to say this, but Arsenal are Premier League champions for the first time in over two decades. Mikel Arteta has been gradually building towards this for years, and all that hard work has paid off.
Now, though, it’s crucial that the Gunners don’t take their foot off the gas. Liverpool’s failure to capitalise on their 2024-25 title win is a stark reminder of how costly complacency can be in football. Arsenal need to avoid the same mistakes and make careful additions in the summer.
Back-to-Back Titles Would Be an Amazing Achievement
Winning the Premier League is nothing to be sniffed at, but it’s crucial that Arteta follows up this victory and goes for a successful title defence next season. With Pep Guardiola having left Manchester City, it could be the perfect time to capitalise and turn the Gunners into the most formidable and consistent leaders in the division.
After winning the 2025-26 competition with an impressive 85 points and a seven-point lead on second-place City, Arsenal will go into the next campaign as favourites to win the league again. In the current soccer odds, the Gunners can be backed at around 6/4 to bag back-to-back titles, but those odds could shift depending on how other sides around them act in the transfer market.
After going all the way in the Premier League and making the Champions League final, burnout could be a potential problem for Arteta’s side next season. That means it’s important to make some clever additions in the summer.
Arsenal Must Evolve Rather Than Overhaul
After winning the league in 2024-25, Liverpool understood the importance of strengthening from a position of power. However, Arne Slot arguably did too much in the summer and spent heavily. The Reds spent an incredible £446 million on transfers when they brought in Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, and various others. These big-name players struggled to gel, though, and this serves as a lesson that Arsenal need to watch out for.
This summer, Arsenal don’t need to go on a massive spending spree to overhaul their squad. They just need to make moves for the right players who are going to add depth where it’s needed. The core players should remain, but there should be backup and competition for places. For example, Arteta may need to bring someone in to challenge Viktor Gyökeres up top. It may also mean shedding some players, such as Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard.
Liverpool got swept up in a major transfer saga last summer around the acquisition of Isak as well, which is something Arsenal should avoid. In fact, this team may benefit from Arteta staying clear of marquee signings and simply looking at proven Premier League players that can easily slot into his system.
In a way, it’s good for Arsenal that Liverpool’s meek title defence happened so recently. Various lessons will help guide Arteta’s decisions in the summer and ensure the manager only brings in players who will help the team.
