The football, then, is back. While the transfer window is still open we are no longer tiding days over for the latest update from HandOfArsenal or David Ornstein or the latest ITK that you swear knows something or the frauds of the world who make their money from agents. And after several weeks of angst about Arsenal’s attack the Champions swatted Manchester City away in the Community Shield. Now, analyzing the Community Shield about a deeper meaning for the rest of the season is a fool’s errand
but Arsenal created 2.89 xG against Manchester City, and all of it was from open play. Martin Ødegaard was imperious and Kai Havertz showed why he is Arsenal’s best centre forward. Arsenal looked freer than they did in almost all of 2026 in the Premier League. And while you can overindex one game – a glorified friendly – it does remind us of the quality that Arsenal already have in attack.
Arsenal’s attacking struggles last season are well documented. 71 goals is the amount of goals for a Premier League champion in 10 years. However there is some context to that total. Bukayo Saka, who got 7 goals and 5 assists, played 65% of available minutes in the Premier League. Ødegaard, good for 1 goal and 6 assists, played 40% of available minutes while Havertz, who scored twice and had 3 assists, played 17% of available minutes.
Before last season, most observers, fans, and likely Arsenal’s coaching staff would’ve said that if Arsenal were to win the league it’d be because Havertz, Ødegaard, and Saka had big roles. In Arsenal’s league winning campaign, though, they didn’t. It is a testament to the rest of the squad that Arsenal won the league without arguably their three best attackers, but it’s also why Arsenal relied so much on not conceding goals and not losing games: the star players were in the back 5, rather than the front 5.
Sunday, though, was a reminder of how good these players are. Indeed, Saka didn’t come on until it was already 3-0 but he also showed his quality, powering past Gvardiol and getting into two good positions as he looked to run beyond the front line. And with the superstar talent in attack unattainable this window, it’s hard to look at any acquisition that will be better than a return to from from Ødegaard, Saka, and Havertz – three players who led Arsenal to scoring 91 goals in 2023/24.
That was, though, two years ago. People are entitled to have doubts about the three, though if the doubts are about form that is less justifiable than fitness. When the three have been fully fit – something that hasn’t happened with any great regularity over the last two seasons – they’ve been excellent players. Havertz and Ødegaard both had excellent World Cups, while Saka had a point to prove in the third place game. All three have a point to prove after a stop-start season last year. Yet, there is no guarantee that any transfer would work out either. Looking at the market, Arsenal might be better placed to trust in their new medical staff keeping their star attacking players fit rather than acting out of desperation at the tail end of the transfer window.
