The 2025–26 season was Arsenal Football Club's 34th season in the Premier League, their 100th consecutive season in the top flight of English football, becoming the first team to spend 100 seasons straight in the English top flight, and 109th season in the top flight overall. In addition to the domestic league, Arsenal also participated in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Champions League, the latter of which was their 40th European campaign. The season covers the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.
On 19 May 2026, Arsenal were crowned as Premier League champions with a game left to play after title rivals Manchester City drew 1–1 to Bournemouth, resulting in Arsenal's first league title since the 2003–04 Invincible season and 14th title overall (4th in the Premier League era). The club officially celebrated their title triumph after their concluding match victory against Crystal Palace on 24 May.
Review Background
Arsenal's 2024–25 campaign was heavily affected by injuries and suspensions. The club did not sign any player in the winter transfer window, after sporting director Edu Gaspar suddenly resigned midway through the season.
The Gunners won twenty Premier League games in 2024–25, which was eight less than the previous campaign. They dropped 21 points from winning positions in the competition that season, their joint-worst record in a single campaign. Arsenal lost four Premier League matches that campaign – one less than the previous season. That represented their lowest loss total in a top-flight campaign since 2007–08. For a second consecutive season, they held the division's best defensive record, conceding a league-low 34 times. Arteta's side finished as Premier League runners-up for the third consecutive campaign, becoming the first club to achieve this twice in English top flight history after also doing so between 1999 and 2001. Kai Havertz finished the season as the Gunners' top scorer in the league with nine goals. It was the first time in 101 years since the 1923–24 season in which Arsenal did not have a player score at least 10 league goals.
Arsenal started their 21st Champions League season since 1992–93 in September 2024. They finished third in the league phase in January 2025 and bypassed February's play-off round to go straight to the last 16. The Gunners completed a 5–1 aggregate triumph over the reigning Champions League champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, reaching the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2008–09. After a 3–1 aggregate loss to French side Paris Saint-Germain, Arteta's side were eliminated from the Champions League at the semi-final stage.
Pre-season On 6 June and 26 June respectively, the club announced new long-term contracts for Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhães and Academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly. Gabriel, at the time of signing the contract, was the leading Premier League goalscorer amongst defenders since his debut in 2020; Lewis-Skelly enjoyed a breakthrough season, becoming the youngest starter for the club in the UEFA Champions League for 13 years. On 8 August, Arsenal announced the long-term contract renewal of another Academy graduate in Ethan Nwaneri. At the time of his renewal, he remained Arsenal's youngest ever appearance maker at the age of 15 years and 181 days and left a big impression on the first team last season with nine goals in all competitions.
On 8 July, Arsenal announced the appointment of former Argentinian defender Gabriel Heinze as a first team assistant coach, replacing Carlos Cuesta who departed the club to become the Head Coach of Serie A side Parma on 19 June. Heinze and Arteta were previously teammates at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2001–02 season.
Arsenal took part in the Singapore Festival of Football between 23 and 27 July, which consisted of matches against European heavyweights AC Milan and fellow Premier League side Newcastle United in the National Stadium of Singapore. Against the Italian side a first-time cross from Jakub Kiwior, that was tapped in at the back post by Bukayo Saka 8 minutes into the second half, was enough to secure a narrow 1–0 win. In the subsequent mandatory penalty shoot-out, three saves from debutant Kepa were not enough to stop Arsenal losing the shootout 6–5, with misses from captain Martin Ødegaard, Reiss Nelson, Kiwior and academy centre-back Marli Salmon. The Gunners then made it back-to-back wins as they ran out as 3–2 victors over Newcastle United. A goal from Mikel Merino and an own goal from Alex Murphy two minutes later, overturned a 6th-minute opener from Anthony Elanga inside the first 35 minutes of the match. A shot from distance was enough for Jacob Murphy to draw the Tyneside club level partway through the second half, before a powerful run from 15-year-old Max Dowman drew a penalty for a push from Joelinton. Ødegaard made no mistake from the spot 6 minutes from time and sealed the one-goal victory.
Arsenal's Asian Tour then saw the squad travel to Hong Kong to play the first North London derby outside of the UK in the history of the rivalry. On the stroke of half-time, Lewis-Skelly was dispossessed by Pape Matar Sarr in a crowded midfield. David Raya, who had played the initial pass to Lewis-Skelly, was consequently caught high up the pitch, thus allowing Sarr to execute a well-taken long-range lob. Despite taking 16 shots on the night, Arsenal were unable to overturn the deficit as Tottenham secured the 1–0 victory, thus condemning The Gunners to their first loss of pre-season.
The club's pre-season schedule was then rounded off with two home friendlies against Spanish sides Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao. The first of these friendlies resulted in a second consecutive single-goal loss as goals from Christian Nørgaard, his first for the club, and Ødegaard from the spot, following another penalty-earning action from Dowman, were not enough to overturn the deficit created by goals from former Gunner Nicolas Pépé, youngster Karl Etta Eyong and former North London rival Arnaut Danjuma. Following their 3–2 win, The Yellow Submarine also ran out 4–3 winners in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, as despite yet another shoot-out save from Kepa, misses from Merino, Gabriel Magalhães and debutant Madueke proved crucial. The Emirates Cup fixture against Athletic Bilbao, which occurred eight days before the club's Premier League opener at Old Trafford, then resulted in The Gunners running out as comfortable 3–0 winners. New signings Zubimendi and Gyökeres combined for the opening goal, as the Swedish striker planted a header into the far side of the goal following a first-time cross from the Spaniard. Incisive football then saw Gabriel Martinelli put through on goal and set up Saka for a calm side foot finish into an unguarded net. Kai Havertz rounded off the scoring with a powerful run and an accomplished left foot strike, low and across the goalkeeper. The subsequent penalty shootout saw Raya make one save and Arsenal score six of their seven penalties to win 6–5. The Player of the Match, Zubimendi, scored the decisive winning penalty.
First team transfers (summer transfer window) The Premier League summer transfer window ran from 1 June to 10 June (due to an exceptional registration period mandated by FIFA for the Club World Cup), and then between 16 June and 1 September 2025.
Arsenal confirmed on 4 June that they were to release twenty players, two of whom, Kieran Tierney and Jorginho, had made 144 and 79 appearances for the Gunners' first team in all competitions respectively.
On 5 June, the club confirmed that Portuguese defender Nuno Tavares, who had spent the entire previous season on loan with Serie A side Lazio, joined the Italian team on a permanent transfer, for a previously agreed fee reported to be €9 million (£7.6 million). It was then confirmed four days later that another loan had been made permanent as Brazilian forward Marquinhos, who had been on loan at Série A side Cruzeiro since January 2025, joined the Brazilian club in a permanent transfer for a reported fee of £3 million.
On 1 July, the club confirmed that they had completed their first signing of the summer (and under new Sporting Director Andrea Berta) as 30-year-old Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga joined from London rivals Chelsea on a long-term deal. The goalkeeper had spent the past two seasons on loan at Real Madrid (where he won La Liga, the Supercopa de España and the UEFA Champions League) and Bournemouth. Arsenal activated a £5 million release clause in his Chelsea contract to complete the deal. Kepa became the seventeenth Spaniard to play for the club and remained, at the time of his signing, the most expensive goalkeeper ever purchased, after his £72 million move to Chelsea in 2018.
On 4 July, the club confirmed that a mutual agreement had been reached to terminate the contract of Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu twelve months early after injuries had limited the defender's availability on the pitch in the past two seasons. Tomiyasu made 84 appearances at the club and was awarded the club's Player of the Month in both September 2021 and October 2023.
On 6 July, the club confirmed their second signing of the summer window as 26-year-old Spanish midfielder Martín Zubimendi joined from Basque side Real Sociedad on a long-term deal. Arsenal agreed to pay €5 million above the stipulated release clause in Zubimendi's contract to enable the transfer fee to be paid in multiple instalments, thus bringing the total figure up to €65 million (£55.8 million). Zubimendi had connections to multiple club personnel at the time of joining, having been born in the same city and played for the same youth club as manager Mikel Arteta, whilst also having made appearances alongside Raya, Ødegaard and Merino (169 with the latter) at club and international level.
Just four days later the club confirmed their third summer signing as 31-year-old Danish midfielder Christian Nørgaard joined from fellow Premier League and London club Brentford on a long-term contract. The deal for the Bees' captain was concluded for an initial fee of £10 million with potential performance related add-ons totalling £2 million. As was the case for the two previous signings of the summer, Nørgaard joined forces with a former teammate, having played alongside Raya for four years at Brentford.
The club's fourth signing, and second from Chelsea, of the summer window was confirmed on 18 July, as 23-year-old English forward Noni Madueke joined on a long-term contract. The Gunners agreed to pay an initial fee of £48.5 million, rising to £52 million with potential add-ons. Whilst the signing was not initially deemed popular by sections of the fanbase, manager Mikel Arteta lauded the signing of "one of the most talented wide forward players in the Premier League".
On 24 July, the club confirmed their fifth signing of the summer window as 21-year-old Spanish defender Cristhian Mosquera joined from La Liga side Valencia on a long-term deal. The deal was concluded for a total package reported to be under €20 million, consisting of an initial fee of €15 million (£13 million). Mosquera arrived in North London with experience beyond his years; since becoming the youngest centre back in Valencia's history at the time of his debut, he had gone on to be an almost ever-present feature of their defence for the past two seasons.