How Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal could look in 2026-27

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After the departure of Pep Guardiola this summer at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta has officially become the longest serving current manager in the Premier League. It might have taken him several tries to win the title since his arrival in 2019, but Arsenal picked up their first piece of Premier League silverware last season, and many back him to do it again.

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Arteta is the only manager within the ‘big six’ who started last season’s Premier League campaign. Every other team has undergone new beginnings sometime in 2026, and many will be completely untested. Arteta remains the only tried and tested manager left among those most likely to challenge for the Premier League title. That should be a big help in their quest to retain the crown.

Nevertheless, Arsenal still aren’t convincing runaways for this season. They had the best defensive record last campaign, but were overly reliant on set-piece goals, and had no definitive goal-scorer. While they won the title in the end, they nearly fumbled in the final few months.

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Arteta’s made subtle adjustments in the transfer window to keep his squad the same, adding only a few pieces to the puzzle. The only loss is Leandro Trossard, and it’s safe to say that United, Liverpool and City have endured greater losses. Meanwhile, Bruno Guimarães adds another versatile dimension in midfield, and Greek international Christos Tzolis has looked bright in the pre-season to make up for that Trossard loss.

Not all that much needed changing, and Arteta’s stuck with the team that earned him his first league title. Here is what to know about Arteta’s Arsenal next season, including how the new signings should fit into the team.

WHAT BRUNO G. BRINGS

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Bruno Guimarães has been one of the best midfielders since he arrived in the league in January 2022. He started that season as a box to box, up and down, all-action midfield ‘8’, and then played the next as a deep-lying ball-winning ‘6’. Later, he again switched roles with Sandro Tonali to exist higher up the pitch, and last season contributed 9 goals and 5 assists in the league.

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The Brazilian has been most effective as an ‘8’. He’s incredibly effective at roaming around, finding spaces to receive, and moving the ball onto his teammates. He reads space like a Thomas Müller ‘raumdeuter’, but then also has the quality to play deeper on the field, knock the ball about and exist as a deep-lying playmaker. This is where I think Bruno G. will make his mark for the Gunners.

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Declan Rice is the box-to-box hybrid 6/8 in the team already, and then you have creativity from either Eberechi Eze, or club-captain Martin Ødegaard. The position more up for grabs is the deepest lying midfielder, where Martin Zubimendi played last season. Zubimendi was an important defensive presence in the side, featuring in all 38 Premier League matches, and starting 34. He won a significant number of his 1v1 duels, understood how to cover for Rice well, and even scored 5 goals.

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But the Spaniard is not the most efficient tempo setter. He can be caught when playing out from the back, is not an extremely talented long passer, and doesn’t create much. When you have Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard in the team, it makes sense that his role would be more about off-the-ball presence and defensive aptitude. But now Bruno G. can offer a different dimension from that position.

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Bruno is an exceptional long passer, a great tempo setter, and a creative force from any position. He likes to be on the ball, ticks it along nicely, and makes intelligent runs up the pitch at the right moment. He would dovetail remarkably with Declan Rice – providing greater fluidity of movement in their midfield, without needing to be the clearly defined ‘6’ at all times. Instead, they could interchange and cover for one another. This could allow Ødegaard or Eze to float higher up the pitch, and work their magic closer to goal. It could also allow for more passing dimensions, more outlets of creativity, and more goals from open play.

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Even if Zubimendi remains the deepest midfielder, Bruno gives them coverage for Declan Rice for the first time in years. The former West Ham captain remains one of the best midfielders in the world. He can do it all, and provides leadership and experience as much as anyone else in the team. Take him out of the side, and it’s a big loss. But with Guimarães now kicking around, that drop-off isn’t quite as steep. Rice played with a hamstring injury toward the back-end of last season, and that carried all the way into the World Cup. If Bruno G. can now stay fit, he’ll be a massive help in allowing Rice proper rest, without needing to play every single minute of every single match.

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It’s the kind of depth they’ve had for years in defense and attack, that is now translating over to midfield. With Myles Lewis-Skelly coming into his own and Max Dowman set for more minutes this campaign too, Arsenal have options in abundance no matter who’s missing.

TZOLIS MIGHT BE THE STEAL OF THE SUMMER

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Leandro Trossard might not be Bukayo Saka or Antoine Semenyo, but he was an efficient cog in Arsenal’s system last season. He made the left-wing slot his own last campaign, scoring 6 goals with 6 assists, providing all that defensive presence that Arteta requires from his forwards.

Losing the Belgian winger is a loss, even if not an irreplaceable one. But as the addage goes, as one door closes, another one opens. That door could have very well opened for someone already in the squad. Gabriel Martinelli remains on the payroll, and Eberechi Eze can comfortably provide support from the left.

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But Arsenal went like for like instead and turned their scouting sources over to the 24-year-old Christos Tzolis, who scored a whopping 17 goals with 23 assists in 36 Belgian Pro League matches last season.

At £34 million, this is a low-risk, high-reward signing. Tzolis was impeccable in the Community Shield, achieving two assits from that left-swing slot, whilst linking up nicely with Madueke and Havertz.

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He’s two-footed and capable of going both ways (either direct down the line or inside), reads spaces extraordinary well, and creates chances for fun. A silky smooth dribbler with an eye for a pass is what Arsenal love so much about Bukayo Saka. Having that same kind of threat from the other side and allowing Madueke to be that direct outlet from the right gives Arteta more options.

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Whenever I’ve spoken to pro clubs about the scouting process, this is often one of their key criteria in signing new players. They want balance. Not every left-winger needs to be of the Martinelli, Trossard variety. Similarly, if they already have Bukayo Saka, they don’t need to get another one to play from the right. But what about one that can offer it from the left? Simultaneously, what if that player could provide something different form the left-wingers they already have, making way for a direct player to operate down the right instead.

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This will be particularly key this season in allowing Saka more time to rest – just like I spoke about with Declan Rice. Bukayo Saka has played a lot of football at a young age. He’s still only 24 years old and he’s trusted to be their vice-captain. Without him, the right-sided options they have are much more direct than Saka, who prefers to dribble into the half-spaces and come inside on his left-foot. Now Arteta has a better solution for balancing that out.

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Overall, I think this is one of the best signings of the summer. Again, if it doesn’t work, it’s not a massive money move, and it’s no harm to the squad whatsoever.

In fact, while Arsenal have only made two big moves in the market, their business is some of the most shrewd around. Here is how the Gunners could line up next season with those two moves in mind.