It was supposed to be Arsenal's year.
Had we known before the 2024-25 season kicked off that Manchester City would lose their grip on the Premier League crown, even a good portion of rival fans should have backed the Gunners to end the Sky Blues' reign of dominance in the top flight.
However, Liverpool boss Arne Slot achieved in one season what Mikel Arteta has not yet managed to do in five, as Arsenal's Premier League campaign ended in familiar abjection, but progress was at least made in Europe.
Here, Sports Mole provides an in-depth review of Arsenal's 2024-25 season.
SEASON OVERVIEW
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Final league position: 2nd
EFL Cup: Semi-finals
FA Cup: Third round
Champions League: Semi-finals
Top scorer: Kai Havertz (15)
Most assists: Bukayo Saka (13)
Starting second and finishing second in the Premier League, Arsenal's 2-0 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the first day of the campaign saw the Gunners end gameweek one in the silver medal position, and they would never spend a single second at the summit in 2024-25.
Appropriately the Halloween period was where the horror show started for Arsenal, who went on a four-game winless run between October 19 and November 10 while Liverpool continued to slay almost every foe in their path, although they kept the Reds honest by going 14 top-flight games unbeaten over the winter.
The Gunners coped relatively well in Bukayo Saka's absence, but their failures in the January transfer window - not adding a new striker to their ranks to cover the absences of Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz - ultimately caught up to them.
However, Arteta's men were also losing leads, dropping points and drawing games at will, and accruing just three wins from 11 in the Premier League between February 22 and May 11 allowed Liverpool to canter towards the title without breaking too much of a sweat.
The Gunners at least made sure of their obligatory Champions League place by taking down Newcastle United 1-0 in their last home game of the season, before ending the campaign as they mean to begin the next by edging out Southampton 2-1.
Speaking of the Champions League, while Arsenal went backwards domestically, they took a giant leap forwards continentally, serving Real Madrid a huge slice of humble pie and reaching the semi-finals for just the third time in their history, before succumbing to a cohesive Paris Saint-Germain unit.
Arteta's side were also subjected to final-four heartbreak in the EFL Cup against Newcastle United, but in what has been a regular theme since their last FA Cup triumph in 2020, their run in that competition was over before it even began as Manchester United prevailed on penalties in the third round at the Emirates.
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Wins: 20 (=3)
Draws: 14 (2nd)
Losses: 4 (=1st)
Goals scored: 69 (3rd)
Goals conceded: 34 (1st)
Yellow cards: 64 (18th)
Red cards: 6 (1st)
Passes: 18,621 (5th)
Shots: 546 (5th)
Big chances missed: 69 (5th)
Saves: 86 (20th)
Tackles: 598 (17th)
Own goals: 0 (=20th)
Hit woodwork: 11 (=13th)
Clearances: 646 (19th)
HOW DID IT COMPARE TO LAST SEASON?
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At face value, 2024-25 was a repeat of 2023-24 for Arsenal, who finished as second best in the land and failed to quench their third for a major trophy, but the Premier League statistics are not at all flattering.
Indeed, Arteta's men claimed 15 more points last season with a total of 89 - which would have won them the title this time around - and they also scored 22 more times and conceded five fewer last term, despite possessing the best defensive record again in 2024-25.
The Gunners also won eight fewer matches in the Premier League and drew a staggering nine more (14 this season, five last term), although their penchant for stalemates also meant that they lost one fewer top-flight match in 2024-25, only suffering four defeats.
While Arsenal went backwards domestically, they went forwards continentally, going one step further to the Champions League semi-finals after being knocked out in the quarter-finals to Bayern Munich in 2023-24.
A run to the EFL Cup semi-finals was also an improvement on last year's exit to West Ham United in the fourth round, but for the second year running, FA Cup round three was their final stop.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: DAVID RAYA
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Had this award been based on performances in 2025 alone, Declan Rice would have taken the cake - and indeed the prize - but the £105m man's underwhelming first half of the campaign unfortunately works against him here.
The same goes for Gabriel Magalhaes on account of his hamstring injury, while Jurrien Timber deserves the most honourable of honourable mentions, but number one David Raya should have silenced any remaining doubters thanks to an incredibly consistent campaign.
The Spain international now holds the record for the most clean sheets by an Arsenal goalkeeper in their first 50 Premier League games for the club with 23 - breaking David Seaman's previous best of 22 - and he defended half of the Golden Glove, sharing the other half with Matz Sels of Nottingham Forest.
At 6ft tall, Raya is on the shorter side for a shot-stopper, but the ex-Brentford man more than makes up for it with tremendous reactions, astounding agility and unbridled confidence in possession, often allowing him to act as Arsenal's 11th outfielder, if you like.
A few individual moments of brilliance spring to mind; that save from Ollie Watkins against Aston Villa, that double stop against Atalanta BC in the Champions League, and that heroic first-half performance against Newcastle, without which Arsenal would have had a bigger scare to survive against Southampton on the last day.
STANDOUT RESULT: ARSENAL 3-0 REAL MADRID
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Making a mockery of Manchester City and putting seven past PSV Eindhoven have to be in the equation, but the 60,110 fans who packed into the Emirates for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid can proudly say that they were there.
Not since 2006 had Arsenal faced the Blancos test, but while there was no Thierry Henry to take out the entire Real Madrid team with one sensational solo run, there was a Declan Rice to take out the entire Real Madrid team with two of the best free kicks the competition will ever see.
However, Arsenal's three-goal thrashing of the 15-time European champions was about more than the Rice rockets; every man in red and white played their part to silence Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, the intimidating front four whose powers were useless in the English capital.
Completing the job at the Bernabeu the next week saw Arsenal hammer the final nail in Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid coffin, and even though the Gunners were then subjected to Parisian pain in the semis, ripping apart Real Madrid in the manner that they did saw Arteta's side send out a statement across all of Europe.
BEST MOMENT
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Selecting one of Rice's two aforementioned free kicks for this category would have been the easy option, but if there was one Arsenal moment that transcended what happens on the field, it came from the foot of a perpetually fearless 18-year-old.
Even when he was an unknown quantity, Myles Lewis-Skelly was not fazed by the prospect of squaring up to the towering Erling Haaland in September and receiving a verbal retort from the Man City striker for his troubles - one that he took personally.
Starting against the Citizens in February after his inexplicable red card against Wolverhampton Wanderers was rescinded, the England international struck the third of Arsenal's fabulous five goals, before having the last laugh over Haaland by mocking the Scandinavian's meditation pose.
The celebration police - including Jamie Carragher - did not take kindly to Lewis-Skelly making light of a player who has hit heights he is yet to reach, but all is fair in the world of tit-for-tat, and Gooners surely cannot help but chuckle when looking back on that memorable moment.
TOP PRIORITY FOR SUMMER
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Possibly the easiest question any Arsenal fan will be asked this summer. Arteta made it clear on several occasions in January that he wanted reinforcements up front, but one failed Ollie Watkins bid later, the Gunners enacted the emergency Mikel Merino protocol up front.
Now blessed with the well-versed Andrea Berta as their new sporting director, the Gunners - barring a transfer disaster - will finally add that big-money number nine to their squad this summer, most likely Viktor Gyokeres but potentially Benjamin Sesko if the conditions of a deal prove more favourable.
Manchester United seem to be Arsenal's biggest competition in the Gyokeres fight, but the Gunners should be able to sell their sporting project as the more appealing one, and Berta will go all in on the charm offensive after trying and failing to sign him for Atletico Madrid while working in the Spanish capital.
However, while signing a striker is undoubtedly Arsenal's biggest priority, it is not their only priority, as a new defensive midfielder, wide attacker and goalkeeper must also be sought regardless of what happens with any existing players.
Martin Zubimendi and Joan Garcia should plug the number six and number two gaps, while either Nico Williams or Rodrygo - both of whom would be genuine marquee signings - could bolster Arsenal's wide options.
FINAL VERDICT
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After the captivating chaos of 2022-23 and 2023-24 - where Arsenal ran Man City incredibly close on both occasions - Arteta has evidently tried to shift to a more control-focused approach, but one that has arguably made the Gunners worse to watch.
An over-reliance on set-pieces and frequent time-wasting may be rival supporters' biggest gripes with Arsenal, while Gooners themselves will be frustrated with their side's laborious build-up play, silly red cards and an inability to keep their top performers fit.
Only three Arsenal players were available for every single Premier League game this season; Raya, Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior. Every other athlete at Arteta's disposal missed at least one top-flight game through injury, suspension or some other ailment.
The hierarchy simply did not do enough to ensure that Arsenal were well-covered in the event of a worst-case scenario, but the players on the pitch were also guilty of losing leads far too easily and failing to convert draws into wins.
Domestically, 2024-25 was a gross underachievement. Continentally, 2024-25 saw Arsenal pull off the greatest result the Emirates has ever seen. But the only thing that really matters is that 2024-25 was another trophyless season for the Gunners. That cannot happen in 2025-26.
If it does, the #ArtetaOut brigade will grow in voice and in numbers, potentially to the point where the board may have to consider a change.
Ben Knapton
