+18 |
Commercial Content |
T&C's Apply | Play Responsibly | Publishing Principles
ArsenalSummary
Generated byArsenal enter Sunday's home clash with Chelsea as defending Premier League champions, but questions about their attacking depth are growing louder after a summer window that left the squad thinner up front than many fans expected. The departure of Gabriel Martinelli to Al-Hilal for £60m is the most striking development of the week. The Brazilian, a key figure in last season's title win, was frozen out by Mikel Arteta and left without mentioning his manager in his farewell message, a detail that points to a rift that has clearly not been resolved.
Arteta has pushed back against criticism of the club's transfer business, insisting the recruitment strategy was ambitious and that every objective was met. The reality, though, is that three senior forwards have left and Christos Tzolis is the only direct replacement. Targets including Vinicius Jr, Julian Alvarez, Bradley Barcola, and Morgan Rogers all went elsewhere, with pundits like Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright openly questioning whether the squad can sustain a title defence without a genuine attacking upgrade.
Compounding that concern is a double injury blow confirmed ahead of the Chelsea game, with two key players absent from training. Arsenal go into the derby second in the table on six points from two games, one point behind Manchester City, having won 1-0 at Aston Villa last time out. A win on Sunday would send a statement. Lose, and the pressure on Arteta's rebuild will intensify fast.
August 2026
Standings
Frequently asked questions
A group of workers from the Woolwich Arsenal Armanent Factory, who called themselves Dial Square, formed a football team in 1886. They would later rename themselves to Royal Arsenal in the same year. In 1893, the club was renamed to Woolwich Arsenal, before finally being named just Arsenal in 1919, six years after they moved to Highbury.
American billionaire Enos Stanley Kroenke is the owner of Arsenal, purchasing the club via Arsenal Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE).
The Emirates Stadium is the name of Arsenal's stadium. It has been the team's home ground since 2006, replacing Highbury, which served as Arsenal's home venue from 1913.
The Emirates Stadium has a capacity of 60,704 and is among the UK's biggest football venues.
Arsenal have won 48 trophies till date, including 13 league titles and a record 14 FA Cups.
Arsenal have 13 English top flight titles to their name, making them the third-most successful team behind Man Utd and Liverpool. They, however, won their last title over two decades ago.
London-born Irish defender David O'Leary sits at the top of the list for most Arsenal appearances in history. O'Leary spent 18 years at the club and made 722 appearances in all competitions, ahead of Tony Adams, George Armstrong, and Lee Dixon.
Thierry Henry is Arsenal's leading goalscorer of all-time with 228 goals in 377 games. No other Arsenal player has scored over 200 goals for the club, with Ian Wright sitting in second place (185 goals in 288 games).
Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Dennis Bergkamp, Mesut Ozil, Robert Pires, and Robin van Persie are among the popular footballing names to have played for Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery, George Graham, and Herbert Chapman are among the biggest names to have been in charge of Arsenal throughout their notable history.
Arsenal have a pretty unique nickname, called The Gunners. This nickname is a reference to the club's origins in the late 19th century, when a group of workers from the Royal Arsenal armanent factory in Woolwich formed the club. That's also the reason why the Arsenal badge includes a cannon.