Arsenal open 2026-27 Premier League season chasing a first successful title defence since 1935

Arsenal begin the 2026-27 Premier League season as the team everyone is chasing, having ended a 22-year wait for the title last term. The new challenge is different: the club has not successfully defended the league crown since 1935, and most of their closest rivals have spent the summer changing managers.

Champions start again

Arsenal’s league triumph was their first in more than two decades, and the celebrations carried deep into the summer even after a painful Champions League final loss on penalties in Budapest. The trophy was presented to captain Martin Ødegaard after Arsenal’s final league game of the season at Selhurst Park in May.

The wider league picture has shifted underneath them. Pep Guardiola has left Manchester City, and several other top-six rivals have also started new managerial cycles. The Guardian’s annual season-preview series has Arsenal first in its writers’ averaged predicted table — a tip, not a guarantee, but a clear sign of how the title race is being framed.

What changed in the squad

Sporting director Andrea Berta has moved quickly in the market. Bruno Guimarães arrives from Newcastle, adding a versatile 28-year-old Brazil midfielder who can operate as a deep-lying playmaker or a box-to-box presence. His arrival should help manage Declan Rice’s workload after the England midfielder played through neural pain in his hamstring and lower back since December. Guimarães joins an engine room that already includes Martín Zubimendi, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ødegaard and Mikel Merino.

Greece forward Christos Tzolis has been brought in to replace Leandro Trossard on the left side of the attack. The club’s hunt for a heavyweight attacking signing continues: Vinícius Junior remains at Real Madrid despite reported interest, and supporters will hope for another addition before the window closes given Bukayo Saka’s recent fitness problems. Saka and Noni Madueke are being eased back after their World Cup exertions.

Fitness and set-piece questions

The most significant concern is William Saliba. A back injury will sideline the France defender for an unknown period, and a defence that conceded 27 league goals last season will feel his absence. Ezri Konsa has been mentioned as a possible reinforcement from Aston Villa.

There is also renewed scrutiny of Arsenal’s set-piece strength. Referees have been instructed to pay far more attention to grappling during set plays, and the controversy from Arsenal’s May victory at West Ham has put their routines under a brighter VAR spotlight. Last season only three Premier League teams posted a better non-penalty expected-goal difference than Arsenal generated from set pieces alone, so any change in interpretation could carry real consequences.

Off-pitch momentum

The ownership picture is stable and ambitious. Stan Kroenke has spent more than £1.5bn on players since KSE became majority shareholder in 2011 and this year

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