The Premier League is back this weekend and Arsenal are entering a sixth consecutive year without Champions League football. Mikel Arteta has been busy in the transfer window in an attempt to bridge the gap between the Gunners and the top four.
Can they fight off the immense competition for places and secure a spot back amongst Europe’s elite? Check out NetBet’s season preview and football betting tips ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Arsenal Season Preview
Arsenal have been one of the biggest spenders in the transfer window thus far, and Arteta will be hoping his new acquisitions will help the Gunners over the line and back into the top four. The Spaniard’s vision is clear, signing technically astute footballers to fit his progressive style of play. Replacing Alexandre Lacazette with Gabriel Jesus looks an impressive bit of business, with the Brazilian set to thrive as Arsenal’s main man.
The Gunners will face stiff competition in the race for the top four, with North London rivals Tottenham eventually edging them out last season following a late collapse. Given the money spent, the board will be expecting results this season, and the minimum aim must be Champions League football.
Arteta’s side are primed for a good season. Not only have they bought well in the window, they will also benefit from the return of William Saliba. The French centre-half honed his craft during two years on loan in Ligue 1, most recently helping Marseille to a second-place finish after featuring in 36 of 38 league games. He is almost like a new signing.
The major question mark will surround Arsenal’s ability to compete with those around them this season. In the 2021/22 campaign, Arsenal took just nine points from the traditional ‘Big Six’, the fewest of any team in that bracket. Seven defeats from 10 matches and a -12 goal difference doesn’t make for good reading. Should the Gunners maintain their dominance against the lesser sides and improve against their competition, they will be in a strong position to break the top four.
Arsenal kick off their campaign on Friday night at Selhurst Park. Crystal Palace is a difficult away day at the best of times, let alone with a bouncing Holmesdale End on the opening day of the season. They lost 3-0 in this fixture towards the end of last season, but we’d expect to see a different result this time around.
Transfer Ins and Outs
Key Arrivals
Gabriel Jesus (striker) – £45m from Man City
Oleksandr Zinchenko (defender) – £30m from Man City
Fabio Vieira (midfielder) – £30m from Porto
Key Departures
Matteo Guendouzi (midfielder) – £9m to Marseille
Bernd Leno (goalkeeper) – £3m to Fulham
Alexandre Lacazette – Free transfer to Lyon
Arsenal Odds
You can find Arsenal at around 33/1 to claim the Premier League title, dropping to 9/1 when betting without champions Man City. It is no surprise to see Jesus as favourite to finish the season as Arsenal’s top goalscorer at 2/5, with Bukayo Saka at 9/2. The Gunners are third favourite behind Spurs and Chelsea to finish as top London club at 3/1, with Mikel Arteta 25/1 to be the first manager sacked.
Arsenal Season Predictions
The minimum aim has to be top four, and we think they have every chance of achieving it. Arteta has built on last season’s solid foundations and looks to have found the goalscorer he’s been searching for. However, although they played some wonderful football at times last season, consistency let them down.
They have certainly addressed the areas that needed improvement, but so have Spurs. With plenty of time left in the window, they could see United significantly strengthen too. We think the manager could be the pivotal factor holding Arsenal back this season. There’s no doubt Arteta’s philosophies are pleasing on the eye, but he’s not a certified winner like Antonio Conte.
The Spurs boss has had a whole pre-season to instill his ideologies, and after making some good signings, Tottenham look favourites to finish above their rivals. We might see it go down to the wire yet again – can Arsenal finally get over the line?
Prediction: 6th
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