Can Arsenal win the Premier League title in 2023/24?

‘Can Arsenal end long wait for a Premier League Title?’: the leading question of a recent ITV sport release.

At the start of the previous season, a top-four finish was about as high as many thought Mikel Arteta and his squad could and would finish. The summer transfer window has certainly upgraded the Gunners in multiple positions, which means the north London side has improved compared to the team that finished second to Manchester City. However, as ITV Sport has proven, the question remains: is Arteta ready to lift the Premier League trophy?

Can Arsenal win the Premier League title in 2023/24?

Arsenal finished second place and five points behind the footballing goliath of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the end of the 2022/23 season. Having already acknowledged Arsenal’s bolstered squad with the additions of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and, imminently, David Raya, one must analyse Manchester City’s summer business. Losing Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan has inevitably made the treble winners slightly weaker. Bringing in Mateo Kovacic for a very palatable fee helps to fill the void left by their club captain but does not necessarily provide the same level of quality.

This is not to say the Croatian international won’t play well for the Sky Blue, but that Gundogan’s presence in the most significant moments is almost irreplicable. It’s not overly controversial to claim that Manchester City have gotten worse overall, and Arsenal have improved by just as much.

Wouldn’t it, therefore, be appropriate that Arsenal are favourites for the title? The majority of the footballing world thinks not. Ade Oladipo, James Lawrence Alcott, Spencer F.C, JJ Bull and John Mackenzie are but a few of those leading the conversation who expect Pep Guardiola to be the first manager in history to win four Premier League titles in a row. On the other hand, Arteta was asked if Arsenal “were on the brink of something?” His candid response: “Yes”.

There is a genuine belief in the Arsenal camp and even more so within the squad.

How should Arsenal fans feel? Indeed, the team is better. However, as Roy Keane said during the same programme as the ITV sports piece: “Just because they’ve strengthened the squad, brought in excellent signings, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to take the next step [in terms of winning the league]”. Last season’s heartbreak remains vivid in the memories of all those with an affection for Arsenal. Regardless, the bond between ownership, staff, manager, squad and fans has never been more tightknit. This club-wide togetherness has created a new level of belief that remains gently hidden below the veil of last season’s humbling. One need only remember the deafening roar of the emirates as Arteta made his end-of-season speech. With the north London side fully equipped to make a title run, much more so than last season, the expectation has changed – to challenge once again.

Does this mean Arsenal fans should consider a second-place finish failure? Three factors must be taken into consideration when answering this question. First, the relative success in other competitions. If Arsenal prove impressive in their return to top-level European competition and launch successful bids for silverware domestically, a second-place finish would certainly be a good season – whether it is enough is a different matter.

Second, the summer transfer window is not over yet. Arsenal may add more and is moving on from some squad members. The most high-profile case is Folarin Balogun, who looks set to leave in an attempt for promised game time. Furthermore, Manchester City have not had the summer one would expect … hitherto. Although Pep has brought in Croatian stars Josko Gvardiol and Kovacic and is on the verge of re-signing world-class players Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva, the City side does not feel as threatening from an Arsenal perspective, which leads me to my third point.

After defeating Manchester City for the first time since 2020 in last week’s Community Shield, it was Arsenal’s number one Aaron Ramsdale who stated that a “mental block” had been overcome. Although the Charity Shield is not deemed a major trophy in the eyes of many, it proved the Gunners’ ruthless mindset heading into this incredibly competitive season.

The footballing world still seems to err on the side of Manchester City in terms of their Premier League predictions. This piece is not to argue, at least at the moment, with this thought process but is rather a pH tester or a temperature check. One thing can be said for sure: Arsenal are certainly in the race in all of their competitions this year.