Arsenal have finally done it: after 22 years of waiting, three successive Premier League runner-up finishes and enough near-misses to fill a museum, Mikel Arteta’s side finally got their hands on the title. But the champagne has barely dried before the uncomfortable question arrives — can Arsenal defend it? The Gunners finished the 2025/26 campaign with 85 points, seven clear of Manchester City, ending their long wait for a fourth Premier League crown.
Arsenal Are Champions, But the League Is Already Hunting Them
Last season, Arsenal could chase the title with the familiar comfort of being the team trying to catch somebody. This time, everybody is coming for them. That difference could be enormous. Reuters reports that Arteta enters the new campaign with Arsenal attempting to retain the crown while nine Premier League clubs begin the season with new managers, creating an unusually unpredictable title race.
The irony is delicious: Arsenal spent years being mocked for finishing second, only to finally win the league and immediately discover that winning it may have been the easier part. Manchester City remain the obvious threat, while Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are also entering new eras under new managers. In other words, Arsenal have graduated from chasing the trophy to defending the trophy — and suddenly everybody has remembered where the trophy lives.
Arteta Has Strengthened the Arsenal Case — But the Pressure Has Too
Arteta has not treated the title as a retirement gift. Arsenal have added Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, Christos Tzolis and goalkeeper Illan Meslier, while the manager has indicated that further reinforcements could still arrive before the transfer window closes. � The club’s ambition is clear: winning once was supposed to end the drought; winning again would prove that Arsenal have genuinely changed their status.
The first examination arrives almost immediately. Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 16 before opening their league defence against newly promoted Coventry City on August 21. Arteta has also received encouraging fitness news, with Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Zubimendi available for the Community Shield, although Jurrien Timber and William Saliba still have recovery concerns. � The message from north London is therefore simple: the champions are not hiding — but neither are the challengers.
For Arsenal, the 2026/27 season could ultimately answer the question that has followed Arteta for years. Was last season the beginning of an era, or simply the moment when the Gunners finally got everything right at the same time? The crown is secured, the challengers are circling and the pressure has officially changed address. OGM News FC will be watching closely, because if Arsenal stumble, the football world will be ready with jokes — and if they succeed, the jokes may have to wait another year.
