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How Arsenal Built A Team Ready To Win The Premier League.
Transfers, tactics and time - the three things that have defined Arsenal's process under Mikel Arteta, but how long has it taken and how far into the process are we? From a team who looked like challenging for the Premier League title, but never winning it, to outright favourites for the crown, Matt is here to breakdown just how Arsenal built a Premier League winning team.
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0:00
For two straight seasons, Arsenal have done something few expected
0:03
Become genuine title contenders. Over the next few minutes, I'm going to break down the four core themes
0:08
that prove Mikel Arteta and Arsenal haven't just spent money. They've solved a complex, decade-long puzzle
0:13
to build a team that isn't just winning now, but is engineered to dominate for years to come
0:30
Three players in the box. Pepe might not need them. Now, in the past, Arsenal have bought some big names
0:37
Players who were great in spite of the system and ones who could flourish thanks to Arsene Wenger's excellent man management skills
0:44
However, since the legendary Frenchman left, a change in manager style or approach has led to, for one reason or another
0:51
new signings that haven't quite fit in. Consider Nicolas Pepe, for example
0:55
The signing of him in 2019 for a ridiculous £72m was for a winger who thrived in the counter-attacking football of Lille
1:03
but fundamentally lacked the tactical discipline and pressing volume required for Arsenal's structured possession-based attack
1:09
leading to his marginalisation and ultimate failure at the club. Similarly, the initial promise of Matteo Guendouzi was shattered by his failure to adhere to Arteta's non-negotiable cultural demands
1:21
repeatedly clashing with management over attitude and discipline. Pepe was the tactical misfit and Guendouzi was the personality misfit
1:29
Aside from these guys, I couldn't even imagine to begin what the club was thinking when they signed a 32-year-old David Luiz from rivals Chelsea
1:37
Anyways, this chaos in the transfer market is precisely what the current strategy eliminates
1:42
The club now signed players who are not just talented, but are engineered for the system
1:46
which has, in my opinion, led them to really missing the mark in the last few years
1:50
For instance, they didn't sign Oleksandr Sinchenko to be a traditional left-back
1:54
They signed a player who acts as a secondary playmaker in midfield
1:58
Did he personally turn out to be the best player? No. But the system was in place, and the club needed to steadily and progressively upgrade in each position
2:06
buying players who would not only be comfortable in their way of playing, but also able to adapt if and when Arteta did
2:13
This meant that despite having been burned by previous expensive signings, The club didn't hesitate to grant Arteta's wish of spending over £100 million on Declan Rice
2:23
because they all knew it would work out. In Rice, Arsenal got a tactical chameleon
2:28
Signed for his capabilities as both a deep line number six and a box-to-box eight to eight
2:32
A player who can do it all and then some. Mikel Arteta has often said his philosophy requires ruthless consistency
2:39
and a culture that everyone must live by, and the recruitment team translated this philosophy into a surgical detail process Former sporting director Edu himself admitted he received reports of over 180 pages on one
2:53
specific player, covering their physical, tactical and mental profiles. This plan of action has seen Arsenal's transfer business go from scattergun to plugging a
3:03
specific technical or psychological gap, and the result is a seamless tactical unit, not
3:07
a collection of talented individuals, which leads directly to my second point
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Now, when it comes to tactical and psychological profiling, I'm certain that those in the know at the club will be inundated with numbers and data
3:23
telling them just how good a potential signing is. But one of the simplest numbers has become one of the most important
3:30
and that is a player's age. The current team is built for arguably the best part of a decade
3:36
With the age profile of this squad, the biggest proof of success is seen is a long-term process aimed at sustained dominance, not just a flash in the pan
3:44
Arsenal have consciously lowered the average age of their squad and signed players whose
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peaks align so that the group can grow together. In the 24-25 season, Arsenal's average squad age hovered around 25.7 years old
3:57
It's 25.2 this season, placing them amongst the youngest in the Premier League and indicating
4:01
that their best football is still ahead of them, unlike Premier League winners historically
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who have often had a squad average age of closer to 28. edu articulated this strategy early on after one particular transfer window saying we've signed 10
4:14
players and seven of them are under 23 it's about the project it's about what we want to do in one
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two three four five seasons so the spine of this team saliba gabriel saka odegaard rice they're
4:27
only just entering or arguably not even entering their prime ensuring that the most expensive and
4:32
Crucial players are also assets, valuable both on and off the pitch in the long haul
4:38
This consistency in targeting the 22 to 26 age range basically means that Arsenal aren't consistently rebuilding
4:45
All they have to do is refine. Look, I know it's not really a new approach
4:49
City have been doing it for years under Pep and Klopp did it at Liverpool as well, where it took him four years to win a trophy
4:54
In the meantime, going from a spine of Mignolet, Skertel, Lucas Laver and Benteke
4:59
to Alisson, Van Dijk, Fabinho, Salah, Mane amongst others. Of course, there is the threat of top quality players leaving
5:06
Bigger clubs offering success now instead of the coming years. But at the moment, Arsenal's success seems so inevitable
5:13
They're heading in the right direction that I can't really think of a player who would want to jump ship
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Not only because of how well they're doing themselves on the pitch, but also because of the ambition and movement shown off the pitch
5:23
when it comes to the planning and intentions of each transfer window
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And this is where Arsenal just do not miss. It Rice again Watching Arsenal transfer windows has been like watching an architect build a skyscraper Each summer they address the weakest point from the year before and focus on it
5:42
meaning they don't try to fix everything at once, but in order. The last four seasons have shown a clear multi-phase journey of evolution
5:50
And here it is. Phase one. They've signed players who fit the new system, the new tactical approach from Mikel Arteta
5:55
And although in time it's fair to say Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Zinchenko weren't generational signings
6:02
these transfers in the 22-23 season were January, the last time Arsenal made poor permanent signings
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and they were good at the time. Phase 2 and in 23-24, they added elite-level players capable of providing quality in their given position
6:17
but crucially, also versatility. You've got the all-encompassing talent of Declan Rice, the tactical versatility of Kai Havertz
6:24
Uri and Timber, although he did get injured on his debut, and the much-needed reassurance of David Raya in between the sticks
6:31
Then came phase three, and with the style of play nailed on, it became easier to pinpoint exactly where they needed improvements in the starting XI for the 24-25 season
6:40
allowing Arsenal to enter their era of tweaking things ever so slightly rather than needing wholesale changes
6:46
Calafiore and Marino were upgrades, whilst Ethan Raniere and Myles Lewis-Skelly provided young but hungry and capable competition out of the academy
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that wouldn't carry the pressure of needing to be the team's saviors, but could be trusted to give the big guns a rest whilst giving them crucial experience as well
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And of course, they cost nothing. All of this then brings us to the summer of 2025
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where Arsenal not only tackled the need for a clinical top-tier striker and for a specialist pivot too
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but somehow they managed to combine all of the previous window successes into one
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Look, ruthless marginal gain is effectively what they were buying with Viktor Yokeres and Martin Zubimendi
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But in Eze and Hincapié, they've got versatile, high-quality options, whereas the signing of Mosquera and Madueke tick the boxes for being both really good backups
7:31
and young, hungry talents will push the overall competitiveness and quality of the broader squad higher
7:38
Experienced backups in Kepa and Norgard come with relatively low expectations and almost aren't really up for judgment
7:44
And just to be sure all angles were covered, let's not forget adding Max Daumann into the mix from the academy that just can't stop producing top talent
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It's honestly one of the best transfer windows I can think of in recent Premier League history
7:56
It's a window that elevates the whole squad from elite challengers to title winners
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And like I said, this isn't by chance. This approach demonstrates remarkable patience and clarity from the leadership
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by continuously focusing their biggest spend on the most urgent structural weaknesses
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ensuring that every massive transfer has maximum impact, not only now but you guessed it in years to come And if you wondering what the difference is between Arsenal window and let say defending champions Liverpool well I think Liverpool have plugged the wrong gaps They spent big money on Wurz and Isak who were almost solving problems that Liverpool didn have last season
8:34
They weren't struggling for creativity and goals. OK, they sold Luis Diaz, but they didn't sign a like-for-like replacement
8:40
Neither Wurz nor Eketike fit that profile. What they were really struggling with was squad depth in almost every position and the constant threat of Salah or Van Dijk getting injured or, as harsh as it sounds, getting old
8:54
Now it looks like they'll have to spend more insane amounts of money to replace both of those two in the near future, all while still struggling for fit centre-back options in the current campaign
9:03
And is it true? All this talk of big spending does make the strategy sound risky, despite the data and ysis behind it
9:12
But the truth is that some of Arsenal's best business has gone under the radar
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And that is in how they fund these big spending sprees, turning a potential financial fair play nightmare into a sustainable competitive advantage
9:25
The core of this theme is the pure profit model derived from the academy
9:29
an FFP masterclass, if you will. Under the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules, aka PSR
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money made from selling an academy player, a player who costs nothing to acquire, is booked entirely as profit
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This meant that the sales of players like Boller and Balogun, Emu Smith-Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, and amongst others
9:47
for significant fees, were clean profit that directly funded incoming transfers. The result is stability, allowing the freedom to continue making major signings
9:56
without the fear of sanctions that have plagued other clubs. Even the structure of the deals is savvy, with the initial David Raya transfer being a loan
10:03
and then an obligation to buy, which strategically spread the cost across two financial years
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to ease the immediate PSR pressure. The consistent sale of fringe players and academy products at high valuations is the hidden engine of Arsenal spending sprees
10:17
They found a legal, sustainable way to compete financially, which makes their success not a footballing story, but a phenomenal business strategy and one that was built to last
10:27
The conclusion then, six windows with four strategic themes, tactical fit, longevity, intentional upgrades and all financially well thought out
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The result is a squad built on solid foundations, ready to enter its prime as a group, financially secure enough to remain at the top and ready for multiple assaults on the Premier League title
10:46
They and the fans have had to be patient. But as we've seen over the years, opportunities will always present themselves
10:52
You've just got to be in the right position to take them, which I'd argue Arsenal now are
10:57
So is this finally Arsenal's year to win the Premier League title and how far can they go in the Champions League as well
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don't forget to get across all of our socials at 442 and also the latest edition of the magazine
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is available to buy now as well that's all for me i'll see you in the next one
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