Arsenal Ready to Defend Premier League Title
Arsenal are champions again. And this time, they sound determined to stay that way.
On the eve of the Premier League’s return, Mikel Arteta has thrown down a marker to the rest of the division, insisting his Arsenal side are “ready to do something special” as they begin the defence of their crown.
They’ve waited a generation for this. Twenty-two years without a league title, then a surge back to the summit. Now comes the hard part: keeping it.
“We know it’s going to demand something special”
Arsenal open their campaign tomorrow night at the Emirates against Championship winners Coventry City, and Arteta made it clear there will be no easing into the new season.
Asked about the prospect of going back-to-back, the Spaniard didn’t flinch.
“You want to go through it again, the desire comes; I want to live that moment again, and I want to live other moments even bigger than them, and we know what it’s going to take,” he said.
“We know the difficulty of the task, that’s why we’ve never done it in this football club – so we know that it’s going to demand something special and we are ready for it.”
Arsenal have never retained the Premier League. To find the last time they successfully defended a top-flight title, you have to wind the clock back to the 1930s. That history hangs over this team, but it also fuels them.
Arteta is convinced that tasting success once will not be enough for this group. The evidence was there on Sunday in Cardiff.
Statement in Cardiff
At the Principality Stadium, Arsenal ripped through Manchester City, winning the Community Shield 3-0 and sending a jolt through the champions’ rivals before a ball has even been kicked in the league.
It wasn’t just the scoreline. It was the intensity, the aggression, the sense of a team that has no intention of treating last season as a one-off.
“When you win something big like this, you fight so much for it, and you go through that emotion, you win it, and you want it again. That’s what we want,” Arteta said after the game.
“We need to push everybody every single day. We’re going to make each other better, and we have an incredible squad, so let’s go for it.
“We know what the Premier League brings and it’s a huge challenge every week, and Coventry is going to be a big one on Friday. So now we have to recover after a massive shift [on Sunday], but I really liked, again, the desire and the will that the team showed.”
The message is relentless: standards can’t drop, not even for a week. Not even for the supposed “easier” fixtures.
Konsa deal to bolster depleted defence
Arteta’s words are being backed in the market as well as on the pitch.
Yesterday Arsenal agreed a £50 million deal with Aston Villa for Ezri Konsa, moving decisively to reinforce a defence hit by injuries at the worst possible time.
William Saliba faces an extended spell out with a back problem. Jurrien Timber is also sidelined long term with a groin injury. For a manager who builds everything from a solid base, that combination left little room for risk.
The England international is scheduled to undergo a medical within the next 48 hours. The clock is ticking if he is to be registered in time to feature against Coventry.
If the paperwork and medical are not completed before the opener, the 28-year-old is expected to make his debut in Arsenal colours in their second league match – away at Aston Villa, the club he is leaving behind.
Champions, a fired-up manager, a statement win over Manchester City, and a £50m defender on the way. Arsenal have made their intentions clear. Now the question is simple: can they turn one glorious season into an era?
