Arsenal kick off their Champions League campaign against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, buoyed by a frontline reshaped through an ambitious summer transfer spree.
After reaching the semi-finals of Europe’s elite competition last season their best run since 2009 Mikel Arteta’s men fell short against eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain. Domestically, the Gunners were left frustrated again, finishing second in the Premier League for the third straight year, with a lack of cutting edge up front proving costly.
Determined to fix that weakness, Arsenal moved aggressively in the transfer market, bringing in Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze to sharpen their attacking threat. The timing of those arrivals has been crucial, with injuries ruling out Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus in the early weeks of the campaign.
The new recruits have already begun to deliver. Gyokeres scored his third goal in four matches during Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, while Madueke has flourished in Saka’s absence. Eze, making his full debut, set up Gyokeres’s strike, while summer signing Martin Zubimendi chipped in with a brace from midfield his first goals for the club.
Arsenal have taken nine points from their opening four league fixtures, their only slip a narrow defeat at Liverpool courtesy of a late Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick.
For Arteta, however, the expectations go beyond strong performances. With years of heavy investment behind him, pressure is mounting to finally bring silverware back to the Emirates the club’s last trophy came in 2020.
“It doesn’t matter what we want to do, it is what we have to do,” said Arteta, who returns to his native Basque Country for Tuesday’s clash.
