2024 was a strange year for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side boasted the best record of any Premier League team over the 12 months, but finished last season as runners-up behind Manchester Metropolis and behind Liverpool (as well as Nottingham Forest) at the end of December 2024. .
The Gunners claimed their first Champions League knockout round win in 14 years, but collected as many trophies as Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United (a Neighborhood Defend compared to an FA Cup win).
The highs may not have been as high as the lows, but there were still plenty of moments to savor along the winding road to 2024.
While Bukayo Saka’s unerring consistency, Martin Odegaard’s magical bursts and Gabriel’s set-piece prowess are worthy of recognition, William Saliba He has to be considered the Gunners’ standout player.
For all the attacking talent at Arteta’s disposal, his team is unashamedly built on a concrete defensive resolve, with Saliba at its epicenter. The silk-lined Frenchman not only offers the kind of imperious presence that leads to universal acclaim from his peers, but he makes those around him, primarily Gabriel, that much better.
David RayáThe start of his life between the Arsenal posts was made infinitely more difficult thanks to his coach. It has long been forgotten as Aaron Ramsdale and his Hagrid suit were sent to Southampton in the summer, but Arteta originally claimed he would rotate his goalkeepers.
That unnecessary misdirection never took hold, and Raya initially struggled to get off to a confident start in front of a fanbase still pining for its likable predecessor. A memorable Champions League night in March turned the tide.
Raya had already gained confidence before saving a pair of penalties as Arsenal eliminated Porto from the last 16 in front of a boiling atmosphere at the Emirates. The specter of Ramsdale, who watched the action unfold from the sidelines, had been purged.
Since then, the Spain international has gone from strength to strength, making a series of increasingly acrobatic saves at the start of the current campaign to ensure that Arsenal’s season is not completely derailed.
Ethan NwaneriHis first Premier League start may have come in 2025, but the 17-year-old prodigy made a significant impact throughout 2024. In 17 appearances, the majority of which were cameos in England’s top flight, the skilled left-hander managed to score. four goals.
Nwaneri’s undeniable talent is such – an appreciation of time and space that team-mate Riccardo Calafiori has described as “pure” – that Arteta has had to exercise extreme self-control to avoid overdoing the teenager.
“60 million down the drain,” or so the chant goes: “Kai Havertz Score again!” Arsenal’s often lanky German, a player whose legs appear too long and arms slightly too short for his angular frame, racked up an impressive 21 goals for the Gunners.
While he was not among Europe’s top scorers in 2024, Havertz narrowly edged out Bukayo Saka, who scored 20. Close behind with 19 in the league alone are Arsenal’s collective set-piece haul.
2024 has not been a surprising year in terms of recruitment for Arsenal. The Gunners did not bring in a single senior player during the previous January window and, apart from making David Raya’s loan deal permanent, only provided Arteta’s side with three new recruits last summer.
Raheem Sterling’s terrible six months are hardly worthy of consideration, leaving a direct shootout between Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino.
The two towering figures, plucked from European teams that punch above their weight slightly below the upper echelons of elite continental football, have had their ups and downs.
Merino notably broke his shoulder during his first training session with the Gunners, but only played three minutes less than his Italian counterpart, who has struggled with less dramatic injuries during his first six months in north London. Calafiori just get the advantage. That recognition is due almost exclusively to their spectacular 2-2 draw against Manchester Metropolis in September, before the defending champions collapsed.
Arsenal last hosted Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in early February. Five points behind the Reds, league leaders at the time, the Gunners had everything to do at the Emirates. And they did it.
Arteta’s team outplayed, outthought and outworked the visitors. A false nine tandem of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz separated the lavender jerseys, leaving the normally imperious pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate wracked by uncertainty and indecision.
Bukayo Saka’s opener was ruled out on the cusp of half-time by an objectively hilarious handball from Gabriel, who somehow conspired to draw Liverpool level, but the Gunners roared back to win 3-1.
The Emirates were elated at the final whistle and Odegaard captured the occasion by stealing Stuart MacFarlane’s camera to take a photograph of the photographer standing next to the pitch. The questionable quality of those shots was the only negative aspect of a night to remember. “To be honest,” Odegaard admitted, “I don’t know, it was a bit blurry!”
