Arsenal Won the Premier League for the First Time in 22 Years, Now Sets Sights on the Champions League

A penalty that sailed over the crossbar. That was the only thing standing between Arsenal and the most glorious season in its history. The Premier League title, the first in 22 years, will live forever in the memory of every Gunners fan. But there will also be the lingering sting of coming so close to the Champions League and falling short: they lost to PSG on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation. Now, with the English league already secured, the next step is obvious: go after the European trophy that still won't come their way.

A different team from the one that started this project

The Arsenal side that won this past season barely resembles the one that began chasing the Premier League back in 2022. Back then it was an eye-catching, attack-minded team that sometimes forgot to defend and suffered from real vulnerabilities. Today it's something else entirely: a solid machine, hard to beat, that imposes itself physically but hasn't always produced what was expected up front. Mikel Arteta, described by those who know him as obsessive about detail, learned from the setbacks that cost him the title in past seasons, and the change shows.

What stands out is that this title was won without a single attacking player having a truly standout season. Only Viktor Gyokeres topped double digits in league goals. Names like captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz dealt with injuries, dips in form, or both at once. Because of that, plenty of matches were settled by the slimmest of margins, with a lot of suffering and the squad pushed to its physical and mental limits.

The transfer market points straight at Europe

The plan for this season is to extend that dominance and bring back attacking punch, not just solidity. That ambition showed in the transfer market: first they went after Vinicius Junior, and when the Brazilian decided to renew with Real Madrid, the club turned its attention to Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid.

Beyond those names that never quite arrived, the signings that did go through are already showing promise. The biggest one was Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle's captain, who adds physical strength to a midfield that already had Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly. But perhaps the most important addition, without as much fanfare, is Christos Tzolis, signed from Club Brugge. Starting on the left, in the spot Martinelli used to occupy, he clicked almost instantly with Odegaard, Lewis-Skelly and full-back Riccardo Calafiori, and was decisive in lopsided wins over Manchester City and Coventry City. His boldness and hunger for goal are exactly what the London attack was missing last season.

Getting the leaders back, the task still ahead

In those 3-0 wins, both in the Community Shield and in the Premier League, there were also encouraging signs from players who had been underperforming. Odegaard looked far more inspired, sharper and quicker in his passing. The Norwegian admitted that the 2026 World Cup, where Norway had its best campaign in history by reaching the quarterfinals, helped him find his best form again.

The World Cup was key to getting back to my best football.Martin Odegaard

To sustain that improvement, Ben White, who missed the World Cup through injury, also needs to keep up the level he showed early on, once again overlapping down the right the way he did three seasons ago. And above all, Bukayo Saka needs to stay healthy after a brutal year, so he can go back to being the kind of leader on the field who helped push the club back to the top.

The end of the 22-year drought, the culmination of a process Arteta began in 2019, brought more than a million fans out onto the streets of London. But that title came at the cost of giving up part of the identity that used to define Arsenal. Now the expectations shift, and the goal is clear: not having to rely on a penalty shootout after 120 minutes to finally become champions of Europe.