Tag: Arsenal

2026/27 Premier League Power Rankings after Tottenham, Man United, and Aston Villa implode
25Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Rankings

2026/27 Premier League Power Rankings after Tottenham, Man United, and Aston Villa implode

Here are the first Premier League power rankings of the 2026/27 Premier League season after Tottenham Hotspur's shock defeat to Brentford, Chelsea's huge win over Fulham, and Manchester United getting embarrassed by newly promoted Hull. 20. Coventry 19. Nottingham Forest 18. Crystal Palace Coventry looked completely overmatched on Friday night, and while that was nothing less than expected against reigning champions Arsenal, it was still pretty jarring to see. Nottingham Forest have quite a bit of talent, but they did not look up for it, while Crystal Palace, on the other hand, may have lost too much talent to be able to truly compete in the Premier League this season. 17. Sunderland 16. Ipswich 15. Hull 14. Leeds 13. Aston Villa 12. Tottenham Hotspur 11. Manchester United I...
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Kai Havertz on a mission to prove Arsenal fans right about what the rest of the Premier League doubts
24Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Kai Havertz on a mission to prove Arsenal fans right about what the rest of the Premier League doubts

Kai Havertz isn't the most popular player around the Premier League, and even though Arsenal themselves spent a ton of money to replace him with a more traditional No. 9 in Viktor Gyokeres last summer transfer window and have designs on making an even bigger splash before the window closes this year in La Liga superstar Julian Alvarez, the German international is still valued highly. And Havertz did have a strong Friday night 2026/27 Premier League season debut against Coventry, toasting up the newly promoted side with a goal. Arsenal fans have viewed Havertz as a loyal servant and a key player, and a lot of them astutely point out that when you look at the raw production, he is playing the best ball of his career in North London. While Havertz was something of a phenom in the Bundes...
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Viktor Gyokeres has made Arsenal realize what they need from Julian Alvarez
24Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Viktor Gyokeres has made Arsenal realize what they need from Julian Alvarez

Arsenal spent about 55 million pounds on Viktor Gyokeres last summer transfer window, and while it is hard to say that he met that price tag from Sporting CP in terms of pure performance on the pitch and certainly came nowhere near the 39 goals he scored in Liga Nos, he definitely was a success in the one most important way that the Gunners were looking at. Because look, maybe it had more to do with the other players, but Arsenal did win the league with Gyokeres at striker. And they did not win the league without him before that, even though they had talented center forwards like Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. From an Arsenal perspective, the big change that Gyokeres brought was a profile in the box who could bring that level of threat and open up the field for the rest of the player...
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Christos Tzolis success for Arsenal will come from a key element they never had
23Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Christos Tzolis success for Arsenal will come from a key element they never had

Arsenal actually had a decent attack with Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, and Bukayo Saka, and while it was the weak point of a side that won the Premier League, the attack was still good enough that it didn't hold the Gunners back from finally taking home the title. But Arsenal are now ten times better as an offense with Christos Tzolis, whose goal scoring and assist providing exploits at Club Brugge were clear enough to the Gunners at the time of his signing. Though he did not score or assist in the 3-0 opening win over Coventry, Tzolis had three key passes and two fouls drawn in a highly successful debut in which he was quite arguably the best player on the entire pitch. What Arsenal were missing and what Tzolis is providing is a directness f...
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Arsenal have one last doubt before Riccardo Calafiori becomes the best in the world
23Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Arsenal have one last doubt before Riccardo Calafiori becomes the best in the world

Arsenal are so loaded with talent defensively that it's easy to forget the players besides David Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes, and William Saliba who were the heroes of the Premier League title run last season. But Arsenal have some more serious ballers in their ranks, and the one with the most upside is Italian international Riccardo Calafiori, who captured the attention of the world in 2023/24 under Thiago Motta when Bologna made a fairytale run to the Champions League - and then the following summer for Italy when he was the one positive of another national team disgrace. Calafiori was among the many Arsenal players who looked incredible in the 2026/27 Premier League season opener against newly promoted side Coventry, showing a different level of class with his touches, turns, and work...
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Martin Zubimendi already proved what was really behind his Arsenal struggles
22Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Martin Zubimendi already proved what was really behind his Arsenal struggles

Arsenal dominated Coventry 3-0 on Friday night to open the 2026/27 Premier League season, and it was no surprise to see how easily the reigning champions destroyed one of the newly promoted sides. Though, of course, Ipswich and Hull scored upset wins, and that actually makes what Arsenal did all the more impressive. Christos Tzolis stole the show with an insane game in his Arsenal debut, and he might be the next big thing in the Premier League. And the former next big thing, Martin Odegaard, was like a new signing again with how much better he looked on Matchday 1 than almost any point last season. But if you ask me - and by reading this article, you are essentially asking me - the biggest storyline wasn't those guys, but rather defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi. Zubi is going...
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The 10 Best Defensive Midfielders in the Premier League Right Now, Ranked
21Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Rankings

The 10 Best Defensive Midfielders in the Premier League Right Now, Ranked

The Premier League is loaded with elite midfield talent, but the best defensive midfielders do far more than simply tackle, intercept and protect the back four. A modern No. 6 must be able to win the ball, resist pressure, progress possession and control matches. Some are pure destroyers, others are deep-lying playmakers, while the very best can dominate both sides of the game. With that in mind, these are the 10 best defensive midfielders in the Premier League right now, ranked based on their current level, consistency, defensive ability, technical quality and overall importance to their teams. 10. Mateus Fernandes — Tottenham The Dynamic Midfield All-Rounder One of the new breakout stars in the Premier League, Mateus Fernandes is a ball of energy with highly underrated techn...
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The 25 Best Premier League Players Right Now, Ranked
20Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Rankings

The 25 Best Premier League Players Right Now, Ranked

The Premier League has no shortage of world-class talent, but ranking the division's very best players is about more than simply looking at reputation, trophies or what a player accomplished several years ago. This ranking focuses on who the best Premier League players are right now. Current form matters, but so do consistency, individual quality, importance to a team's success and the ability to influence matches at the highest level. Players are also judged on the standard they have established over the current period, rather than being ranked solely on a brief hot streak. From elite defenders and midfielders to some of the most devastating attackers in world football, these are the players setting the standard in England's top flight. Here are the 25 best Premier League players right...
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Predicting every Premier League team’s goal scoring leader in 2026/27
15Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Predicting every Premier League team’s goal scoring leader in 2026/27

The 2026/27 Premier League season is starting up again soon, and before the new campaign begins, let's take a look at who every team's best scorer will be Manchester City: Erling Haaland Arsenal: Bukayo Saka In theory, the leading goal scorer for Arsenal should be Viktor Gyokeres at the No. 9, but he is so hard to rely on. And while nobody will confuse Bukayo Saka for being the most killer goal scoring winger in the world, he has better technical ability and feel for the game than Gyokeres. He is bound for a bounce back season in 2026/27. Chelsea: Cole Palmer Like with Arsenal, it's hard to pick against the striker, but Joao Pedro brings a lot more than goals to the table for the Blues. And, in fact, what makes him such an asset to Chelsea is the fact that he is more than a scoring st...
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Ranking the top 5 Premier League Player of the Season candidates before 2026/27 begins
15Aug By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the top 5 Premier League Player of the Season candidates before 2026/27 begins

It's time to rank the most likely Premier League Player of the Season winners for the 2026/27 campaign before the new season officially begins in a week's time. 5. Leeds DM Anton Stach It might seem crazy to have Anton Stach anywhere near Premier League Player of the Season contention, but he played a massive role in carrying Leeds United to safety last season and is genuinely one of the best all around No. 6's in European football. He was a top player for multiple Bundesliga clubs before an insane inaugural season in England, blowing away expectations with 8 goal contributions, 2.2 key passes per game, and 2.2 tackles per game. Stach is a monster who is only going to get better and deserves a lot more attention. 4. Liverpool ST Hugo Ekitike Hugo Ekitike was the one saving grace in ...
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