Will 2024/25 be the year Arsenal finally wrestle the title away from Man City?

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The 2024/25 Premier League season is about to get underway and Arsenal will be hoping they can finally get the better of Manchester City at the third time of asking.

Mikel Arteta has slowly built a squad capable of competing for the title and Arsenal have pushed City close in each of the last two seasons; but ultimately finished second behind Pep Guardiola’s champions. However, the Gunners are getting closer. We finished just two points behind City last season and had the same goal difference [+62], having taken four points off the Cityzens from our head-to-head games.

There is no doubt Arteta’s young team is getting better each year but could 2024/25 be the season we finally bring the Premier League title back to North London after 20 long years? Arsenal fans are optimistic, but many others disagree. Supporters who buy Man City tickets are already celebrating another title triumph before a ball is kicked, while most pundits and journalists are also predicting the title will be heading to the Etihad Stadium once again this season.

It’s easy to understand why. City are a formidable team, who’ve won the title for the last four seasons. This could be Guardiola’s last year in charge with his contract expiring in 2025, so he’ll want to sign-off with another title under his belt. There is no doubt Manchester City will be right in the mix once again this season.

However, there are signs of a slow decline and the door could open for the likes of Arsenal to take advantage this year. City set the bar high in 2018 and 2019 with 100 and 98 points from their 38 league games. They then got 93 points in 2022, and the total dropped to 91 last season. Arsenal on the other hand have increased their points total in recent years and have closed the gap. If the Gunners can hit 90 points this season, it could well be enough to clinch the title.

Are Arsenal ready?

Arteta has built the best defence in the league, and one of the best in Europe. Arsenal conceded a league low 29 goals last season – 5 less than City. The addition of Riccardo Calafiori and the return the fitness of Jurrien Timber will solidify the back four even more, so Arsenal are going to be extremely difficult to break down this season.

If Thomas Partey can stay fit [a huge IF], then it would be a big boost in midfield as we’ve sorely missed the Ghanaian when he’s been on the sidelines. Arteta knows he cannot rely on Partey so it’s no surprise that Arsenal are in the market for another central midfielder this summer. Mikel Merino appears to be the main target with the club in talks over a deal with Real Sociedad. If Arsenal can sign the 28-year-old, he would add a real physical presence in the middle of the park. A reported fee of around £25m-£30m wouldn’t break the bank either and it seems like a matter of time before the deal is done.

The one area Arsenal will need to strengthen is in attack. We desperately need support for Bukayo Saka on the right wing as the England international has been over worked the past few years. Reiss Nelson is a solid player but isn’t of the required quality to compete for a place in Arsenal’s starting eleven.

Nico Williams has been linked with is reportedly holding out for a move to Barcelona. Raphinha is another name being floated about as the Catalans will need to offload an attacker if they buy Williams. The Brazilian international would be an excellent signing if Arsenal could get a deal done, but Raphinha is reportedly reluctant to leave the Nou Camp despite failing to hold down a regular starting place.

The latest name to emerge as a possible target is Kingsley Coman. The Frenchman is available this summer as Bayern Munich revamp their squad and Arsenal are reportedly exploring a loan move with an option to make the deal permanent next year. The 28-year-old has had his fair share of injury problems but there is no doubting his quality when fit. Signing Coman on loan would be an excellent piece of business by Arsenal if we could get it done. He can play on either wing, and even up front if needed, so his versatility would be a huge asset to Arteta’s squad.

As well as a winger, many feel Arsenal also need a top class goal-scorer to finally get the better of Man City. We haven’t had a reliable scorer up front for years and it’s probably the one missing piece of the jigsaw. Gabriel Jesus is a terrific player but he has been plagued by niggling injury issues the past year and scored just 4 league goals in 27 appearances last season. Jesus isn’t a natural goal-scorer so it was no surprise when he lost his first team place during the second half of last season.

Havertz good enough up front?

Kai Havertz joined Arsenal from Chelsea last summer in a surprise deal. He was initially played in a box-to-box midfield role and struggled to settle. However, he excelled after replacing Jesus up front during the second half of the season and made the No.9 position his own. His work ethic and link-up place made him a very useful focal point up front, but he also improved his output in front of goal.

After scoring just 4 league goals between August and the end of January while playing as a midfielder, Havertz scored 9 in 14 games while playing up front between February and the end of May. He also chipped in with 7 assists taking his tally to 13 goals and 7 assists in 37 Premier League appearances, which was a very decent return in his first year at the club.

If Havertz can continue his fine form up front this season, some feel he could be the answer to Arsenal’s goal scoring problems up front. The German is now settled at the club and knows Arteta’s system. Havertz knows what’s expected of him in the No.9 role and although his finishing can be erratic at times, he’s still got bags of quality and has proven he can produce good numbers in terms of goals/assists.

The big question is whether Havertz is good enough as a striker to make Arsenal champions. Many feel we still need a proven, top class finisher and Arsenal have been linked with Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres. Both have far better goal-scoring records compared to Havertz but they’d cost over £80m. Spending that kind of money would be a big gamble, and signing any striker would be a risk with no guarantees they’ll replicate the form they showed at previous clubs.

Ultimately, it’s down to Arteta and Edu to decide whether Arsenal need a new striker badly enough. Personally, I’d be shocked if the club spent £80m on a striker this summer. If we can offload Nketiah, we may take a punt on a younger forward who we can mold and coach. If Sporting Lisbon lower their asking price for Gyokeres to around £50m, we might be tempted.

It’s certainly going to be an interesting few weeks before the window closes, but if Arsenal can buy Merino, a winger and possibly another striker, then we’ll be in great shape to finally wrestle the title away from Man City.

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