Arsenal’s coronation as Premier League champions has been a long time coming, 22 years since the Invincibles won the league under the great Arsene Wenger, and Mikel Arteta’s team has been knocking on the door for years.
The door finally opened last Tuesday when Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth, 24 hours after the Gunners had recorded a 1-0 win over Burnley, and Arsenal are worthy champions. So what is the difference this year? Why has the team which has finished second for three years running suddenly won the big prize?
You can point to Manchester City’s modest haul of 78 points and Liverpool’s pitiful defence of their 2025 title; but it would be churlish to deny the Gunners the credit they deserve, because this was a huge challenge. This is the toughest league in the world, and the Premier League 2026 betting odds backed Arteta’s men from early in the campaign, so I say they deserve their success; and for five big reasons.
Nerves of steel
Known as chokers in recent years, the Gunners finally shook off that mantle this season and they kept their nerve under immense pressure from the club which has dominated the past decade, winning five from six league titles. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were looming in the rear-view mirror and after they beat Arsenal to win the Carabao Cup and then again in the league in April the Sky Blues looked ready to pounce. But while City dropped points against Everton, the Gunners were unshakeable, responding to the loss to Guardiola’s men with five straight wins. That truly relentless run of Premier League 2026 results was the mark of champions.
Best defence
Back in November this SBOTOP writer said Arsenal were the best team he’d seen at Turf Moor, while watching his beloved Burnley lose 2-0 to the Gunners. First half goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice gave Arteta’s men an unassailable lead and, while they huffed and puffed in the second half the Clarets didn’t lay a glove on the Arsenal defence. And my experience mirrored hundreds of thousands of fans nationwide as the Gunners conceded just 27 goals, by far the fewest in the league. And their wins, following the defeat to City, three 1-0s and a 3-0 underlined the team’s defensive prowess.
Take a look at Arsenal’s backline. Keeper David Raya sits behind a centre back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel; with Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori on the flanks, and the likes of Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie in reserve…and you try to score against that lot.
I love my team dearly; but Burnley could still be playing now, and it would be 2-0 to Arsenal!
Coped well with big injuries
The difference between this Arsenal squad and those which ran close in recent years is the strength in depth and the ability to cope with injuries. Striker Gabriel Jesus, defender Ben White and forward Kai Havertz have been sidelined but the biggest losses have been the long-term injuries to club captain Martin Odegaard and star winger Bukayo Saka. Both have recently recovered and played their part in the title run-in, but Arsenal managed to hold on to top spot throughout these absences. Just imagine how well they would have done had Saka and Odegaard played the whole campaign.
Clever recruitment
The high-quality squad depth at the Emirates is testament to a highly successful summer transfer window, with the headline recruit being the arrival of centre forward Viktor Gyokeres who came in a £55m move from Sporting Lisbon. There has been a lot of pressure on the Swede’s broad shoulders and he has coped admirably, scoring crucial goals including a double in a recent 3-0 win over Fulham, and racking up a total of 14 league goals as well as helping to fire the Gunners to a Champions League final.
The addition of Noni Madueke from Chelsea added to the creative unit, while Martin Zubimendi’s move from Real Sociedad negated the loss of Odegaard for much of the campaign, and Hincapie and Mosquera have both played their part in Arsenal’s defensive success.
Unshakeable belief
Above all, this Arsenal side has had the look of a team which believed it could win the title from the get-go. The steely nerves I talked about were important in the run-in, but the belief coursing through the veins of every player has been evident throughout.
Midfield ace Declan Rice epitomises this belief; a Rolls Royce of a player who always performs on the biggest stages, which is good news for England fans in the run-up to the World Cup. And Rice’s strength of conviction has rubbed off on the rest of the team which has morphed from a collection of highly talented players to a group of winners.
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