Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest sparked many talking points, with a lot of attention paid to Mikel Arteta’s squad depth.
Having Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, William Saliba and Declan Rice out of the starting XI would’ve induced great anxiety last season.
On matchday four of the 2025/26 season, things were far different for Arsenal.
So much so that Arteta actually opted to rest Rice, knowing he had a suitable replacement for the Englishman in Mikel Merino.
Since taking over as Arsenal manager in 2019, one thing Arteta hasn’t had is true depth in quality…until now.
Steve Nicol says Mikel Arteta won’t get a better squad than the one he has now
Arsenal’s improved squad depth was noticed as early as the opening day when the Gunners beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Against Nottingham Forest, the options Arteta has at his disposal were a talking point, with pundit Steve Nicol going as far as admitting that the Arsenal squad couldn’t actually get any better.
When praising Arsenal’s depth on ESPN FC, Nicol explained why this year it’s crucial that Arteta delivers the Premier League title.
“That’s why we end up with, this has to be the year for Arteta,” Nicol said.
“He’s never going to have a better squad of players at Arsenal, he’s not. It’s an impossibility for them to bring any more players in to make it better, quite frankly.”
The pundit thinks what Arteta has at Arsenal right now is as good as it gets regarding the level of depth the Gunners have, calling for the boss to take advantage of such.
Arsenal’s work in the summer transfer window deserves a lot of credit, as for just over £250m, Andrea Berta was able to bolster every position in the squad.
Arteta commented on Arsenal’s squad depth after the Nottingham Forest win
It’s not only squad depth that’s worth celebrating, but also how quickly the players have managed to adapt to their new surroundings.
Berta went above and beyond in the summer market to give Arteta the tools he needed, something the manager certainly appreciates.
Arteta was asked about the importance of having this level of depth in his squad after Arsenal’s win.
“If we hadn’t done that with the injuries that we have, unfortunately, some of them are very difficult to control, we’d be in a very different place,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference.
“We knew that that was the standard of the other teams in the league and in Europe, and you can see that.
“I’m very happy because it gives us options, it gives us the capacity as well to change games, to have presence in the team.”
Like every manager, pressure is on to deliver success, with Arsenal having a greater chance than ever to bring home major silverware this season.
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