Arsenal are looking to go one better in the 2025-26 Premier League season after three second-place finishes in a row.
The Gunners were easily beaten to the title last season by Liverpool, with injuries wreaking havoc on Mikel Arteta’s squad for much of the campaign.
But after a summer of lavish spending, with Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres all completing big-money moves to the Emirates, there can be no more excuses for the North London side.
As such, the 2025-26 season is absolutely massive for Arsenal Football Club (who are at Premier League odds of 3.25 to lift the trophy), so it felt only right to get the pre-season thoughts of NetBet brand ambassador Ray Parlour, who is of course a bona-fide Gunners legend!
Read on for Ray’s in-depth preview ahead of Arsenal’s opener against Manchester United next Sunday…
Ray, what have you made of Arsenal’s transfer business this summer?
Ray: “It’s been a fantastic window for Arsenal so far. Potentially the missing piece of the jigsaw, Viktor Gyokeres represents an enormous signing and he can hopefully lead the team forward with his goals. The depth of the squad is certainly much better now, as we saw what happened when injuries struck last season. This year, injuries should not be anywhere near as hurtful to the team.”
How many goals does Gyokeres have to score in the Premier League in 2025-26 to be considered a successful signing?
Ray: “It’s not really about number of goals. If Arsenal win the Premier League, then it will be deemed a successful signing. But for himself, Gyokeres will be looking to get 15+ goals for sure. Remember the Champions League is a big target for Arsenal, so he could be hugely valuable in that competition too.”
If you had to pick Arsenal’s strongest XI after the summer, what would it be?
Ray: “My XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Rice, Saka, Havertz, Gyokeres.
“But there really is so much quality in the squad these days. I could have put Ben White in at right-back, or made a number of other changes.”
What is your score prediction for Arsenal’s season opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford?
Ray: “This has ‘banana skin’ written all over it for Arsenal. After a strong transfer window, it’s important Arsenal start with a positive result, but Old Trafford is never an easy place to go. I am predicting a 2-1 Arsenal win, but they’ll have to be at the top of their game to achieve that result.”
Where do you think Arsenal will finish in the Premier League this season?
Ray: “The squad is a lot better now, so there is no reason why Arsenal can’t go on and win the Premier League this season. The defence is rock-solid, the midfield is strong and the team shouldn’t have trouble scoring goals either with options like Saka, Havertz, Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli and Madueke.”
And finally. Does Mikel Arteta simply have to win a trophy this season after being backed in the transfer market?
Ray: “You never know what can happen during a season, just look at what happened last year! Arsenal had a big striker crisis due to multiple injuries at the stage of the season when they were looking to close the gap to Liverpool.
“But, with a deeper squad packed with fresh quality, Arsenal and Arteta have no reason not to go very close to winning a trophy in 2025-26. Although, you only have to look at Liverpool and see their investment over the summer, which has also been very eye-catching, to know that it won’t be easy for Arsenal to win a trophy.
“However, Arteta and his staff are doing everything right behind-the-scenes. Now, it’s up to the squad to deliver on the pitch, which I believe they can do.”
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