After Arsenal lost to Liverpool in Philadelphia in the final match of their preseason tour last summer, manager Mikel Arteta sat at a small table with assistant Albert Stuivenberg and captain Martin Ødegaard having a late meal.
The rest of the squad was spread across a canteen area at Lincoln Financial Field, some people grabbing food and others preparing themselves for the security and passport checks about to take place to save time at the airport ahead of their flight back to London. Mohamed Salah had scored in a 2-1 win that left Arteta ruing missed chances, warning afterward: “When you’re in those spaces, [it is about] putting the ball in the net.”
However, Arteta cut a relaxed figure at dinner. Ødegaard and Arteta shared a couple of jokes, finished their meals and headed for the exit. There was no indication the Gunners were concerned by Liverpool’s formative shape under Arne Slot. Buoyed by a 2023-24 campaign in which they scored a club-record 91 Premier League goals and amassed 89 points, Arteta had told ESPN a month or so earlier that the stats said Arsenal should have won the title.
Arsenal opted against moving for another striker after Benjamin Sesko signed a new contract to remain at RB Leipzig. The Gunners were prepared to wait and assess their options later in the season, confident in the belief they were just small margins away from a first title since 2004.
Fast-forward to January, and that same confidence in their existing options made Arsenal decide against paying the £60 million asking price for Ollie Watkins. Sources told ESPN that the Gunners bid £40 million but refused to go any higher. Some now come to view that decision as a £20 million call that may have cost them the Premier League title, especially given Arsenal drew 14 games across the campaign — only Everton (15) amassed more — and they were so often guilty of that same profligacy Arteta highlighted after losing to Liverpool in Philadelphia.
Arsenal finished as runners-up for the third consecutive campaign and reached the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2009. It was one step forward in Europe but at least one step back domestically. This is the story of how it came to pass.
Young players come in but transfer chief quits
Arteta was determined to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of what he believed were marginal gains required to win the Premier League.
The club’s preseason began early in July with a mini get-together for players not involved in Euro 2024 or the Copa América, inviting players’ friends and families to Marbella, Spain, with the aim of guarding against fitness dropoff and improving togetherness.
Sources also told ESPN that once the season began, training sessions were notably more intense this time around. Detailed weekly plans were nothing new, but Arteta had left the players with less spare time and more instructions to follow. Sources said that at the opening game of the season, a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Aug. 17, Arteta had insisted on seven analysts taking up space in the Emirates Stadium gantry — an increase from the year before.
The 42-year-old has never been forthcoming with team news — that, of course, is his prerogative — but sources told ESPN he was particularly evasive when it came to news of Ødegaard’s ankle injury, suffered on international duty with Norway in September. Arteta repeatedly claimed in news conferences there was a lack of clarity over the severity of the injury, yet sources say the early scan results indicated a six-to-eight-week absence. Perhaps reluctant to confirm the first major injury setback of the campaign, Arteta would only talk about the midfielder being sidelined for “a while” and “hopefully not months.” As it was, Ødegaard returned to action after seven weeks.
The night before playing Liverpool at home in late October, Arsenal trained at Emirates Stadium rather than at their London Colney base. Sources told ESPN that among the reasons for this was to keep as quiet as possible that both Jurriën Timber and Bukayo Saka had recovered from injury and would start the match. However, the sense of togetherness suffered a significant setback when sporting director Edu suddenly quit the club in November, shortly before the executive team were due to fly to Los Angeles to meet with owners Kroenke Sports Enterprises to plan the next two transfer windows.
Edu’s departure created a significant problem for the club’s hierarchy, triggering a three-month search for his successor. Sources told ESPN that the club interviewed seven candidates and was impressed by the field. Andrea Berta’s desire to move to England, and specifically to Arsenal, was a compelling factor, alongside his wealth of contacts and experience after 12 years at Atlético Madrid.
An issue the Gunners had to iron out was precisely how the structure would work given Edu and Arteta reported in separately to Venkatesham when he was chief executive. One source told ESPN there might have been potential candidates deterred by the level of influence Arteta has and how disruptive it could be for a sporting director to sit above the Spaniard when the club had operated a more collaborative approach with Edu. The dynamic of Berta’s relationship with Arteta will be interesting to watch.
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Despite the injury situation, Arsenal entered the January window with no plans to make major additions. Sources said the November meeting in L.A. concluded with a decision to wait until next summer unless there were further setbacks.
That is precisely what happened next. Gabriel Jesus suffered a knee ligament injury, and the club confirmed Jan. 14 that he would undergo surgery. Jesus had impressed Arteta in preseason, with many at the club believing he would step up this year, so the news came as a major blow. The mood consequently shifted, and Arteta became increasingly forthright in his view the squad needed strengthening. However, the possibility of signing Sesko from Leipzig, Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting CP or Alexander Isak from Newcastle was remote in each case.
It was only when Aston Villa, concerned about Profit and Sustainability Rules compliance, approached Arsenal with around a week left of the window that a viable opportunity presented itself. Ollie Watkins was now available for £60 million. An Arsenal fan, proven in the Premier League and compatible with Arteta’s style, Watkins seemingly fit the bill. Sources said the Gunners made an offer of £40 million, which was rejected. The Gunners pondered a response, and in the meantime, Villa transferred another striker, Jhon Durán, to Al Nassr for around £65 million. One source told ESPN, although this has been disputed, that Villa then upped their asking price to Watkins for £90 million, at which point Arsenal withdrew.
On the night of the semifinal first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, former manager Arsène Wenger returned to the Emirates. Sources said he has an open invitation, but he has only taken it up on rare occasions. But Arsenal’s luck ran out. PSG proved too much over two tight games and they were unable to maintain any sense of momentum to pressure Liverpool in the Premier League run-in. They won nine of their final 20 matches of the season across all competitions following Havertz’s injury. It is the first season since 1923-24 that Arsenal haven’t had a player score ten or more goals in a league campaign. Nobody managed more than Havertz’s nine.
Injuries were undoubtedly a factor, and the Gunners’ primary attacking conduit — Ødegaard, Saka and Ben White combining to overload down the right-hand side — was essentially ravaged for a large portion of the campaign. The trio started just eight league games together over the course of the season, and the effect on the team’s fluidity cannot be underestimated. Ødegaard’s effectiveness upon returning from injury was inevitably compromised by the lack of natural runners ahead of him.
There are other areas requiring improvement — Martín Zubimendi is expected to arrive from Real Sociedad to strengthen the midfield while a wide forward and a back-up goalkeeper are among their targets — but the No. 1 priority is clear: sign a striker.
For a club and a manager always seeking lessons from history, there is one encouraging omen: the last time Arsenal finished second three times in succession, they won the double the following year.
