It shouldn’t be contentious to argue that Arsenal are the nailed-on favourites to win the Premier League this season, retaining the title they won so confidently last year.
To say they are a shoo-in would be offensive to the trailing pack, but there’s no question that it would take a Herculean effort from one of Manchester City or Chelsea or Liverpool to derail Mikel Arteta‘s project. Arsenal are the best team in the country. The most coherent and focused. A hive mind working toward the same ambitious goal.
The Gunners haven’t emerged from a perfect transfer window. Arteta and Emirates director Andrea Berta will be frustrated by their failure to sign an elite forward. Still, Christos Tzolis looks alright, doesn’t he? Bruno Guimaraes’ £75m move from Newcastle United adds a dimension to an already imperious midfield; Ezri Konsa and Piero Hincapie (loan made permanent) have completed an impregnable defence.
Martin Odegaard‘s return to form as a world-class playmaker has also come at the perfect time. Arsenal haven’t been brilliant in attack, with last year’s big-money signings – such as Eberechi Eze – flattering to deceive.
Why Eberechi Eze is struggling at Arsenal
The price tag is not Eze’s fault, but it’s hard to justify that £67m on the England international was money well spent, especially when considering Berta signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon for £63m too.
The fact Eze was Arsenal’s second-top goalscorer in the Premier League last season with only seven goals issued a strong statement on where Arteta needed to strengthen this summer, but efforts to sign Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Junior fell flat.
|
Arsenal – Top Premier League Scorers (25/26) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
Goals |
|
Viktor Gyokeres |
36 |
14 |
|
Bukayo Saka |
31 |
7 |
|
Eberechi Eze |
32 |
7 |
|
Leandro Trossard |
31 |
6 |
|
Martin Zubimendi |
38 |
5 |
At least the Gunners did not panic and turn to lesser players. A move for Malick Fofana was explored, but ultimately, Arsenal did not advance toward the end of the transfer window. The fact the young Belgian winger signed for Sunderland might confirm that he wasn’t the one.
However, Eze could now be expected to deputise on the left wing when Tzolis is unavailable. Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli both left the club this summer, but last summer’s marquee signing from Crystal Palace is struggling to produce the goods.
The 28-year-old scored seven times in the Premier League last season, but five of those goals came across two emphatic fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur. Hardly a bad thing in isolation, the Three Lions star struggled for consistency throughout the campaign.
For now, Eze will continue to play a part for Arteta’s side – though the first month of the campaign suggests he will be a bit-part player.
But Arsenal have an emerging talent who’s soon to finalise his transfer to north London, and this one might just have what it takes to oust the England international.
Meet the teenage Arsenal signing who could replace Eze
Eze hasn’t quite worked out for Arsenal. He might be involved within a title-winning team, but had he produced the same performances in a sinking ship, he would undoubtedly have been scapegoated.
In December 2025, Arsenal signed Ecuadorian twins Edwin and Holger Quintero. Edwin is a zippy right winger, but Holger, who has been likened to Thiago Alcantara for his delightful close control and technicality, often features from more central positions, and if he realises his potential in Arteta’s system, could emerge as the perfect long-term Eze upgrade.
It’s still 11 months until the Quintero twins turn 18, and for now, they continue to develop with Ecuadorian Serie A club Independiente Del Valle. Holger has only made one senior appearance to date,
Hailed as a “10/10 talent” by football scout Jacek Kulig, Quintero is the real deal, showing immense promise with Ecuador at the U17 CONMEBOL Championship in 2026, scoring two goals and supplying one assist across five games, averaging 2.4 dribbles and, incredibly, winning 9.8 duels per game.
The transition to life in the Premier League will be harsh – and meeting Arteta’s supreme standards will be tougher still – but Quintero has what it takes to become a superstar in London, with the elegance and X-factor that could see him overtake Eze.
We’re still only drawing from the early readings, but Independiente are renowned for developing the finest Ecuadorian quality out there, with the Gunners’ Piero Hincapie and Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and Kendry Paez all hailing from the innovative and acclaimed youth system.
Quintero isn’t going to burst onto the scene in north London just yet, but there can be no question that he has the potential to become a mainstay at Arsenal, one of the creative leaders at the Emirates.
Eze will already be feeling the heat after a fringe-placed start to the 2026/27 campaign. If this rising star continues to tick the right boxes, it may spell danger for the English attacker, who has yet to rediscover the same talismanic value at Arsenal that led to such illustrious success under Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace.