Why Arsenal will be ‘favourites’ for the 2024/25 title even if they ‘bottle’ it again

Add as preferred source on Google

Journalist James McNicholas has now explained why he feels Arsenal will start next season as Premier League title favourites. 

Despite being top of the table, many currently consider Arsenal to be underdogs in the Premier League title race. 

Liverpool and Manchester City both hold an advantage over Arsenal in that they have won the league in recent years under their current managers. 

However, Mikel Arteta’s side will have learned from the painful experience of last season, when their title tilt fell apart on the final straight. Last season, Arsenal were accused of ‘bottling’ the league, as reported by The Sun.

They will use lessons from that disappointment to guide them through the run-in this time around. In that sense, the Gunners are not entirely without experience. 

Even so, as things stand, the race is too close to call. Just one point separates Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City. The North London club are only in pole position due to their superior goal difference over the their rivals. 

Are Arsenal set for an era of Premier League dominance?

With seven games left to go, things may well not pan out in the manner that the Emirates Stadium faithful are hoping for. However, there is still a very bright future ahead for this Arsenal team.

For a start, they have shown that their unexpected title challenge last season was no mere flash in the pan. The Gunners are established title contenders now and look set to remain that way.

Arteta has built a young squad. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and William Saliba are all 25-years-old or younger. Valuable experience is brought to the group by the likes of Jorginho and Thomas Partey.

What’s more, the club’s hierarchy have shown that they aren’t afraid to back Arteta and sporting director Edu in the transfer market when it comes to improving the playing squad. For instance, the Gunners splashed out a club-record £105 million fee to sign Rice last summer. Arsenal fans now consider Rice to have been worth every penny.

READ MORE: How much Arsenal paid to sign every first-team player in the transfer market

Are Arsenal’s rivals losing their grip?

Looking to their rivals, though, and there are signs that their powers could be starting to wane. Most obviously, Liverpool will lose Jurgen Klopp at the end of this season. The German coach’s Anfield exit will inevitably have a huge impact. On top of that, talismanic figures such as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah aren’t getting any younger either.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola will not remain in the Manchester City hotseat forever. Kevin de Bruyne is ageing and increasingly injury prone, too.

Considering all these factors, James McNicholas has now given his verdict on where the Gunners will stand in future campaigns. Speaking on the Arsecast Extra podcast, the reporter said, “I think we are just incredibly well set up for the next few years. Like, if it’s not this season, it’s going to be next season or the season after. Our time is coming, I feel that for sure…I almost think that we might go into next year as favourites.”