If you were going to pick a trophy for Arsenal to win this season, realistically, I doubt many ardent football fans would choose the Champions League. There is a small chance they could overturn their deficit in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle United, after a good result against Tottenham and they are probably the closest challengers for the Premier League after Liverpool – though this still looks unlikely.
Ian Wright watching on as Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1, last night. ❄️ pic.twitter.com/rOxweKKTbo
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) January 16, 2025
However, where I think they stand a great chance of delivering silverware is in the Champions League. Over the years we have seen clubs with weaker squads win Europe’s elite competition and upset the odds – Chelsea in 2012 against Bayern Munich would certainly be an example.
I was also surprised to see that they are currently joint second-favourites (with Real Madrid at 6/1) and marginally behind Liverpool at 4/1 who will likely be concentrating firmly on the Premier League.
For me, it makes sense – barring a major slip-up, they are unlikely to finish outside of the top four in the Prem and, if I was Mikel Arteta, I would be thinking “let’s concentrate all of our efforts on the CL and revisit the PL next season after a summer of strengthening”.
What’s that – “the January transfer window is open”, I hear you say? Yes, that’s right. It is no secret that Arsenal need an elite number nine and they are heavily linked with some top talent. While it is unlikely there will be a major frontline signing this month, they could still add some decent and affordable firepower that will help to alleviate reliance up front on the likes’ of Gabriel Jesus.
What we know about Arsenal is that they are more than capable of creating chances and look defensively solid (the latter being a major ingredient of any PL club in the CL against European teams who play a different brand of football).
Surprisingly, they are also currently third in the CL league table, behind Barcelona and Liverpool. Unlike most season’s Arsenal have to really ‘get going’ and, impressively, despite this, they also sit second in the PL, have made it to the Carabao Cup semi-final and were marginally edged out on penalties against a resurgent Manchester United in the FA Cup third round.
Champions League Is A Great Opportunity
I would say, essentially, the pressure is off for Arsenal and there is definitely more to come from them this season. As such, I think they could provide fans with some of their best football in the Champions League and if Arteta says “lads, go out there, do what I know you are capable of, have fun and lets give the fans something to enjoy” before each CL match, they could spring a surprise.
Yes, one or two additions in this window would definitely help the cause – and I do believe they will strengthen – nothing eye-catching, but with very capable squad players that can make a contribution (a la Leandro Trossard a couple of years ago). Remeber, you saw it here first!