Every Arsenal fan knows the feeling. The table looks good. The squad looks deeper. The manager sounds calm. And somewhere at the back of the mind, a quiet voice asks: "Are we sure?"
Here we are again. Premier League title in play. A serious run in the Champions League. The same question hanging over both: is this the squad that finally lifts trophies, or the squad that ends up as a reference point in someone else's story?
The ghosts in the building
You don't have to go back far. 2022-23: an eight-point lead that turned into a guard of honour at the Etihad. 2023-24, 2024-25: closer than you'd think, but never close enough. Three runners-up finishes in a row is its own kind of trophy — the kind nobody puts in a cabinet.
And the Champions League? Arsenal have never won it. The 2006 final still sits there, unfinished business. For a club this size, that absence is louder than people admit.
What's different now
- The squad has real depth. Rice has changed what midfield looks like. Saliba and Gabriel are still the best central defensive pairing in the league. Saka has settled into the version of himself that consistently decides matches.
- The set pieces are a weapon. Nicolas Jover's dossier has quietly been worth points and rounds in cup competitions for two seasons running.
- Arteta has the scars. Three near-misses is an education most managers never get. Whether it translates into the right substitution in the 78th minute of a final — we're about to find out.
Why it could still go wrong
Two-front seasons punish thin squads, and Arsenal's medical room has a way of opening at the worst possible time. One Saliba hamstring, one Ødegaard ankle, and the conversation changes overnight. There's also the mental piece — the part you can't coach. Until a team actually lifts a trophy, every tight scoreline carries a little extra weight.
Why collectors are paying attention
If this is the season Arsenal finally do it, the memorabilia from this squad takes on a different colour entirely. A first Premier League title since the Invincibles of 2003-04 — a 22-year wait. A first-ever Champions League trophy. Signed shirts and signed pieces from this group of players would stop being "current squad" items and become fixed points in the club's history.
Either way — coronation or cautionary tale — this is a season Arsenal fans, and the people who collect their shirts, are going to be talking about for a very long time.
— The Celebrity VIP Art team