Arsenal are one of the biggest clubs never to have won the Champions League, including in its previous guise as the European Cup. Incredibly, until Chelsea won this competition in 2012 (since when they added a second title in 2021), not a single London side had ever gone all the way in what is now the biggest club competition in the world.
In this article, our focus is the Gunners. And, with Mikel Arteta’s side very much on the up in recent times, perhaps the north London giants can and their long wait for the most prestigious trophy of them all.
What Are the Gunners’ Chances in 2024/25?
As said, Arsenal’s fortunes have improved a great deal over the past few seasons. They were drifting along for several years towards the end of the Arsène Wenger era, and since then they have struggled. Arteta came along and whilst it took him a little while, he has managed to steer the club onto the right path again.
The Gunners finished second in the Premier League in both 2022/23 and 2023/24, accruing totals of 84 and 89 points, respectively. Those totals would have been enough to land the title in many other seasons and at various stages in both of those campaigns the Gunners were the favourites to land the championship. It wasn’t to be, though, but the mood around the Emirates is more positive than it has been for many a year.
Despite the positive mood and upward trend under their astute Basque boss, even staunch fans of the club might be surprised to see the early odds for the upcoming Champions League. It is no surprise that Man City (11/4) and defending champions and serial winners Real Madrid (7/2) are first and second favourites. But what’s this… the Gunners are the third favourites according to the bookmakers?
Arteta’s men are priced at 9/1 and are the only other club at single-digit odds, ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich, PSG, Barca, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan and all the rest. Last term, the Gunners lost in the quarter finals in what was their first appearance in the Champions League since 2016/17.
They were eased out by Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich, drawing 2-2 at the Emirates before a 1-0 defeat in Germany. Bayern themselves would be beaten by eventual winners Real Madrid in a thrilling semi, so in a sense it is clear that Arsenal are not that far away from the level they need to reach.
On the other hand, it seems a little optimistic to view them as the third-most likely to win given they have never managed to win the competition and have only once made it as far as the final. They have fallen regularly at the last 16 or last eight stage, so for them to win in 2024/25 requires a really big jump.
Reasons to Have Hope
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The chief reason to have hope, and perhaps even dare to let that hope build towards belief and even expectation, is that Arteta is clearly doing an incredible job. He had his doubters for a long time, with many viewing his repeated talk of “trusting the process” as little more than an excuse: they didn’t want process, they wanted results.
Those who did keep faith with what he was trying to achieve have been rewarded, whilst those who didn’t have, we are sure, no doubt changed their tune and claimed they always had absolute faith in the former Everton and Arsenal midfield ace. The results speak for themselves, and the Gunners have gone from just missing out on a Champions League spot in 2021/22, to qualifying for the competition with ease two years running.
Their points total has gone from 56, to 61, to 69, and then to 84, and most recently 89, and were it not for the force of nature that is Man City, they would surely have captured the league title in one of the last two campaigns. Arsenal’s recruitment has been superb and, more importantly, Arteta and his team are able to get every ounce of performance out of all the players that they have.
The Gunners have a clear identity and way of playing and everyone has really bought into what Arteta is doing. Well, those that haven’t, or couldn’t, have been sold, leaving a squad that has total faith in their manager.
Finances Solid
Now more than ever, clubs in the Premier League are having to be careful with what they spend on transfer fees and wages. Profit and sustainability regulations mean that the days of teams spending huge sums with little regard to the broader financial picture of the club are long gone. We have seen Everton hit with multiple points deductions and the spectre of punishment is hanging over other PL sides.
Some top-flight clubs are having to sell players to keep on the right side of the regulations, whilst others are coming up with elaborate – and rather dubious – pseudo-transfers, in an attempt to bolster their finances. Thankfully, Arsenal are not in that position and compared to many their finances are healthy.
This means the Gunners are well placed to dip into the transfer market in the weeks ahead. Transfer activity is sure to step up once Euro 2024 in Germany has finished and there are certainly a few positions where Arteta will want to strengthen his squad. To compete in the Champions League and domestically Arsenal need a little more class in some positions and a little more strength in depth overall.
A left-back is a priority, whilst Arteta will also want to add a striker to his ranks. Extra depth and flexibility in terms of an attacking midfielder who can play in a range of positions would also be nice, whilst another more defensive, central midfielder could also be on the radar.
As we have touched upon, last season Arsenal lost narrowly to Bayern, who in turn were eliminated, thanks to two very late goals, by the team that won the UCL, Real Madrid. Arguments based on “they beat them, and that other team beat that team, and we beat them, therefore…” do not necessarily hold up very well. But certainly the fact that Arsenal ran Bayern so close last term suggests they might improve on their performance in 2024/25. And if Edu can pull off the signings that his manager wants, then who knows, maybe the Gunners can finally be crowned kings of Europe.