Arsenal News and Analysis

The truth about Martin Odegaard is painfully obvious

5Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

The truth about Martin Odegaard is painfully obvious

Injuries have slowed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard again this season, as the Norwegian superstar has only started a total of 13 games this season. In those starts, though, Odegaard has still been effective despite not quite being at his superstar best. Odegaard has five assists on the 2025/26 Premier League season for the title favorites thus far, and when he returns from his latest injury issue, he will be a boost in both the creative department and in the control department. Although Arsenal defeated a solid Brighton side 1-0 behind another stalwart defensive performance from the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and now Piero Hincapie, there was something missing about the team's overall performance on the ball. The quality of passing, the comfort on the ball was lacking, and while ...

Arsenal can’t ignore the upside of Kai Havertz for Viktor Gyokeres

5Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Arsenal can’t ignore the upside of Kai Havertz for Viktor Gyokeres

Arsenal are a much stronger team when Kai Havertz is involved in the side, and as the Gunners wait for a healthy Martin Odegaard, the German international made another nifty cameo appearance off the bench for top striker Viktor Gyokeres against Brighton. While you will find some Arsenal fans who actually would prefer Havertz to be the starting striker over Gyokeres, everyone knows that the Gunners have been there, done that with Havertz as a traditional 9. It doesn't work. But what does work is having Havertz playing off a traditional No. 9. Gyokeres has been a positive addition to the Arsenal team since joining from Sporting CP, scoring goals, especially in important games, and being a real focal point up top with his size and shooting range. Havertz is what Gyokeres is not. He i...

Piero Hincapie just became another Arsenal undroppable

4Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Piero Hincapie just became another Arsenal undroppable

Arsenal slogged out another quality win in the Premier League, outlasting Brighton with a rugged defensive display, 1-0, and with Manchester City drawing relegation candidates Nottingham Forest, the Gunners are in an even better position to win the league. The best player on the pitch for Arsenal was none other than Piero Hincapie. Like against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Hincapie was tremendous defensively on that left flank, showing exactly why Arsenal signed him for who he is: an elite defensive player who brings the quality of a center back with the athleticism of a fullback to either the left back or center back positions (and surely right back, if asked). Hincapie looks like an absolute warrior out there, even better than he did at Bayer Leverkusen now that he is on an Arsenal te...

Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi solution is beyond obvious

4Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi solution is beyond obvious

Arsenal star defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi has been one of the keys to the Gunners controlling Premier League midfields with ease and thus the title race to this point, but the Spanish international has begun to look a little long in the legs. And it is no surprise either. Out of all the players in the Premier League thus far in the 2025/26 campaign, Zubimendi is the leader in total kilometers traveled with nearly 300. Not even Everton workhorse midfielder James Garner or Nottingham Forest dynamo Elliot Anderson have covered more ground. Every single Arsenal fan can tell that Zubi is gassed, and they greatly appreciate all the dirty work he does so that the other players on Arsenal, including Ballon d'Or candidate Declan Rice, can shine with their statistics. Not only that...

Arsenal, Mikel Arteta’s dark arts will inevitably lead to Premier League rule changes

3Mar

By Cody AcevedaNo Comments

Analysis

Arsenal, Mikel Arteta’s dark arts will inevitably lead to Premier League rule changes

After the Gunners' 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday, the football world is again talking about Arsenal corner routines and the so-called ‘dark arts’ used by Mikel Arteta’s side. These conversations have been a staple of the 2025-26 Premier League season, but it’s starting to feel like we have finally reached a tipping point for what fans, commentators, and even other clubs are willing to accept. Manchester City legend Yaya Toure said he was “disappointed” by Arsenal’s performance in the London Derby match, while former AC Milan and Chelsea star Ruud Gullit described the Gunners’ tactics as “truly awful to watch” on Dutch television. On Tuesday, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler added his name to the long list of football fans unhappy with Arsenal’s corner routines this season. Spe...

Martin Zubimedi quietly proved why Arsenal want Sandro Tonali

2Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Martin Zubimedi quietly proved why Arsenal want Sandro Tonali

There have been a lot of unfair takes about Arsenal star defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi recently, many of which miss the point. Because as Mikel Arteta and upper management predicted, the former Real Sociedad star has been a rousing success, offering the Gunners a sense of control even they did not enjoy last season. Zubimendi has been one of the better defensive midfielders in the Premier League this season, forming a fearsome axis with the world class Declan Rice. His ability to win possession has added another dimension to this team, and his off ball positioning is nearly peerless in European football. But he wasn't at his best against Chelsea over the weekend. Arsenal won and Zubi played excellently defensively, but he struggled to accurately move the ball against Moises C...

Arsenal fans can’t be mad at Riccardo Calafiori’s transfer wish

2Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

News

Arsenal fans can’t be mad at Riccardo Calafiori’s transfer wish

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has been as good as advertised since joining in summer 2024 after a sensational breakout season with fairytale Serie A side Bologna and the Italian national team at the European Championships, and while he has gotten along perfectly well in North London for the new title favorites, he is still dreaming of a return to the Italian top flight. As relayed by Italian transfer reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Calafiori admitted that he feels there is unfinished business at his first club, the historic AS Roma in the capital, as he never got to celebrate with the ultras due to COVID-19, "I want to return to Roma at some point. I can't predict the future but it's unfinished business for me. I was 18, it felt like a dream at Roma. But then COVID happened, I couldn...

Riccardo Calafiori might have already lost his starting job

2Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Riccardo Calafiori might have already lost his starting job

Arsenal survived another tough challenge in the Premier League this weekend, maintaining their status as league leaders by taking down rivals Chelsea 2-1. In the win, left back Piero Hincapie delivered another great performance, increasing the rumblings that he could usurp Riccardo Calfiori as the starter going forward. Calafiori was actually playing well at the left back position before suffering a muscular injury, and even though he should be healthy enough to return to the starting lineup, the Italian international has remained benched in favor of Hincapie. The Ecuadorian international has made his permanent signing from Bayer Leverkusen a mere formality at this point. Wanted by literally every other club in the Premier League Big Six, Hincapie's brand of athleticism and hard-nose...

Eberechi Eze’s biggest problem is abundantly obvious

1Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Eberechi Eze’s biggest problem is abundantly obvious

Arsenal attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze has shown flashes of the brilliance, mostly against Tottenham Hotspur, that made him one of the Premier League's best and most popular players at Crystal Palace, but, by and large, his first season at the Emirates has been an underwhelming one. He is a victim of trying to do too much and is mistaking himself as a focal point when he plays, taking too many touches. Signed for nearly 70 million pounds from the Eagles after leading them to a historic FA Cup triumph over Manchester City, Eze delivered a hat trick and then a brace in two 4-1 drubbings of Spurs in the North London Derby. But as a whole, Eze has scored just one other goal this season for Arsenal in the Premier League at a time when his presence has been needed more due to continued ...

3 key players could be out of Arsenal this summer to further upgrades

27Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Transfer News

3 key players could be out of Arsenal this summer to further upgrades

Arsenal are the best team in the Premier League right now, but they are headed for another offseason of changes and upgrades. Ben White, Christian Norgaard, and Gabriel Martinelli are three notable players who could leave the club for new faces. According to a report from The Sun's Charlie Wyett, Martinelli is likely to leave if Arsenal are able to sign a better left winger, with Newcastle star Anthony Gordon high on the list. Meanwhile, White is looking for more playing time, and Norgaard, freshly signed this past summer transfer window over his former Brentford manager Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur, is also interested in leaving the Emirates this year. Neither White nor Norgaard would be huge losses for Arsenal, as Norgaard is a backup player - though a good one - and White ...