The 2025–26 season was all about finally regaining the Premier League title. Arsenal, mocked for their bridesmaid persistence, had suffered three consecutive second-place finishes and were distant runners-up last season.
Many of the cogs remained in place, but the addition of Andrea Berta added an extra strand of ruthlessness in the transfer market.
The Italian appeased a demanding Mikel Arteta, whose need for tangible success had grown all the more desperate. Their summer work was imperfect, but depth was installed to allow Arsenal to compete on multiple fronts.
They ought to have cruised to Premier League glory, with Arsenal, so defensively brilliant and reliably proficient from set pieces, quite clearly the best team in the country. An unproductive attack and Arteta’s occasional conservative touch allowed a title race to bloom. Ending a 22-year wait for the league title was never going to be easy, was it?
Glory was seized days before the season’s conclusion, as potential usurpers Manchester City faltered at Bournemouth. Celebrations that not a single Arsenal supporter will ever forget ensued, and plenty must’ve thought they were in for another magical occasion when Kai Havertz gave them the lead in the Champions League final.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s review of Arsenal’s glorious 2025–26 campaign.
Arsenal 2025–26 Player of the Season
William Saliba
There are four players this could be awarded to, and it was hard to split them. David Raya won a third consecutive Golden Glove and produced big saves at huge moments; Gabriel excelled in both boxes and Declan Rice is the box-to-box superstar Arteta’s Arsenal cannot function without.
However, we’ve opted for the Rolls Royce at the heart of their stern defense: William Saliba.
It’s no coincidence that Arsenal transformed into title contenders as soon as the silky yet dominant French defender broke into Arteta’s plans after several loan spells. Saliba has developed into one of Europe’s finest center backs, and he struggled to put a foot wrong in 2025–26.
He doesn’t quite garner the attention Gabriel receives, yet it’s pretty obvious who the superior defender is. Saliba is serenity personified with the ball at his feet. His stellar recovery speed helps Arsenal suffocate opponents, safe in the knowledge that they’ll seldom be caught out by balls in behind.
Only two Arsenal outfielders notched more minutes in all competitions this season, with Saliba appearing 50 times. His partnership with Gabriel reached new heights, conceding just 27 times in the Premier League—Arsenal’s lowest since Arteta took charge.
Honorable Mentions: David Raya, Gabriel, Declan Rice
Arsenal 2025–26 Goal of the Season
Max Dowman vs. Everton
There were more dazzling strikes and perhaps more dramatic moments, but not a single Arsenal goal this season, not even Havertz’s early effort in Budapest, felt more euphoric than Max Dowman’s game-sealer against Everton.
The 16-year-old record-breaker caught the eye in preseason and has been sparingly used by a manager who was once accused of inhibiting the club’s brightest academy talent by not trusting them with the seniors.
Arteta knows he has something special in Dowman, whose breakaway goal against Everton secured what felt like a hugely significant 2–0 victory before the March international break.
With Jordan Pickford up for a last-gasp corner, Dowman latched onto Gabriel Martinelli’s clearance by nodding the ball past Vitaliy Mykolenko. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s desperate recovery attempt was laughed off by the fearless teenager, who glided beyond the midfielder and raced towards an empty net.
The Emirates roared in gleeful unison long before Dowman’s run to Premier League history, as he became the competition’s youngest ever goalscorer with a simple conversion. Arsenal moved 10 points clear at the summit, just before Man City were held by West Ham United.
Honorable Mentions: Eberechi Eze vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Leandro Trossard vs. Sunderland, Gabriel Martinelli vs. Man City, Martín Zubimendi vs. Nottingham Forest
Arsenal 2025–26 Performance of the Season
Bayern Munich (H)
Arsenal have been mightily productive in the big domestic games over the past few years, but the Gunners were beaten by both Manchester clubs this time around, and also failed to beat Liverpool.
It was in Europe where they thrived against the very best. Many lamented the club’s ’easy’ run to the Champions League final, but they earned their good fortune. Arsenal became the first team since the league phase was introduced to win all eight of their games, casting aside the likes of Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan.
However, their finest work doubtless arrived against Bayern Munich. Arteta has conjured up some masterpieces throughout his tenure, and this was another. There was no clean sheet thanks to a brilliant Bayern attacking sequence, but Arsenal were dominant on home soil against a team that would go on to break the Bundesliga’s single-season scoring record.
The Gunners notched 3.05 xG and limited Bayern to just 0.79, neatly depicting Arsenal’s level of dominance against a superb opponent.
Honorable Mentions: Aston Villa (H), Tottenham Hotspur (H), Leeds United (A), Fulham (H).
Arsenal 2025–26 Signing of the Season
Cristhian Mosquera
Arsenal’s big-money arrivals were more miss than hit, but the club nailed the low-key acquisition of center back Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia.
Sure, there was a fatal mistake against PSG, but the fact that he was starting the Champions League final shows what sort of impression he made during his first season with the club.
An athletic and robust center back by trade, Mosquera was used as mitigation for Jurriën Timber and Ben White at right back down the stretch. He played 35 times in year one, including 20 starts.
Signed for a meager $17.5 milllion (£13 million), Arsenal have got themselves another standout defender for the present and future.
Honorable Mentions: Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyökeres
Arsenal 2025–26 Most Improved Player
Viktor Gyökeres
There were no major standouts on this front, but Arsenal’s two major summer signings offered hints of progress as the season wore on.
Viktor Gyökeres is a clumsy, bruising center forward who doesn’t look particularly good at the sport. Still, he knows where the goal is. The Swede was never going to enjoy Primeira Liga-like returns in the far tougher Premier League, but a haul of 21 meant he ended the season as Arsenal’s leading goalscorer.
Gyökeres netted twice in the second north London derby of the season, and produced the bulk of his most impressive performances down the stretch, particularly in Europe. Gyökeres was genuinely brilliant in the second leg of Arsenal’s semifinal against Atlético Madrid.
There’s plenty of room for further improvement, with Arsenal set to bolster their frontline again this summer. Gyökeres’s place among the substitutes in Budapest shows that he hasn’t garnered Arteta’s unequivocal faith.
Honorable Mentions: Eberechi Eze
Arsenal 2025–26 Disappointment of the Season
Champions League Final Despair
While Arsenal finally reasserted themselves at the very top of the Premier League after 22 years, their wait for a major European honor goes on.
The Gunners’ Champions League campaign started with unerring precision, before grit and resilience helped them bypass three plucky, but not outstanding, opponents in the knockout stages.
Paris Saint-Germain awaited in the showpiece event, as Arsenal made their first appearance in the final since they were beaten 2–1 by Barcelona in 2006.
For a while, it looked like Arteta’s devilish ploy was going to lead the Gunners to victory. Holders PSG, behind thanks to Havertz‘s early goal, were flummoxed by Arsenal’s defensive might. The Parisians were kept at arm‘s length until Mosquera was caught on the wrong side of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Both teams threw punches in a bid to seal victory before the lottery, yet penalties always seemed an inevitable endpoint after Ousmane Dembélé restored parity from 12 yards. Arsenal were on the cusp of a stunning double, but PSG, too, were chasing history. Only one team since the Champions League’s inception have ever gone back-to-back.
In the end, it would be Arsenal (and Gabriel in particular) to suffer heartbreak from 12 yards.
Arsenal 2025–26 Most Appearances
| Player | Total Appearances | Premier League | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martín Zubimendi | 57 | 38 | 19 |
| Declan Rice | 55 | 36 | 19 |
| Viktor Gyökeres | 55 | 36 | 19 |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 53 | 30 | 33 |
| Eberechi Eze | 52 | 32 | 20 |
Arsenal 2025–26 Top Scorers
| Player | Total Goals | Premier League | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viktor Gyökeres | 21 | 14 | 7 |
| Bukayo Saka | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 11 | 1 | 10 |
| Eberechi Eze | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Leandro Trossard | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| Noni Madueke | 8 | 3 | 5 |
Arsenal’s 2025–26 Record in All Competitions
| Competition | Finish |
|---|---|
| Premier League | Champions |
| Champions League | Runners-up |
| FA Cup | Quarterfinals |
| Carabao Cup | Runners-up |
