There are several reasons why the title is slipping away from Arsenal. Everything has been rosy for most of this season, but when the going gets tough, everything is put under the microscope.
The truth is that Mikel Arteta’s style of football is not good enough. Their build-up is slow and their attacking players are weak, which means they don’t create enough chances.
Say what you like about Victor Gokeres, but considering his tactics and surroundings, it’s a miracle he managed to score 18 goals in his debut season at the club.
Much is expected of the Swede, but Arsenal’s wingers have been out of action for the majority of the season, with Noni Madue, another signing last summer, proving to be a major headache for Arteta.
Why Noni Madueke was Andrea Berta’s worst addition to Arsenal
At the end of the 2025 summer period, new head of recruitment Andrea Berta was highly praised for the business he had concluded at Arsenal.
They finally signed a new centre-forward when Gokeres arrived, but Berta made a splash when they brought in Eberechi Eze, a boyhood Arsenal fan, on a late deal from Crystal Palace.
They were also praised for signing the likes of Piero Hincapie and Martin Zvimendi, but their £13m move to lure Cristian Mosquera away from La Liga looks like an even bigger steal by this week. He is now a full Spain international.
However, much of this business is now in question. Gokeres may be the club’s top scorer, but he has contributed little, especially in possession. Zvimendi has played the most minutes of any player in the outfield and is certainly paying the price for his below-average and tired performances in recent weeks.
The richest contract in Arsenal’s history
The Gunners have spent generously in recent years.
But their addition was absolutely necessary. Arsenal have been in need of a striker for years and needed a replacement for Jorginho and Thomas Partey.
However, Madueke’s arrival was not inevitable. Some may argue that Arteta has needed a good back-up in Bukayo Saka in recent years, but the Englishman missed much of the end of last season with a hamstring injury and the team had already found Ethan Nwaneri to replace him.
Nwaneri became an outcast as a result of Maduke’s arrival from Chelsea last summer, at an exorbitant cost of £52m given his level of performance.
Prior to his loan move to Marseille, he did not start a single game in the Premier League. I should have done that.
The man in front of him has barely pulled up any trees. The former Chelsea winger has scored just two goals in the league this season. He has not been involved in a goal in his last nine games and was substituted at half-time against Manchester City last weekend.
Maduke vs Man City | |
|---|---|
Play time (minutes) | 45 |
touch | 27 |
exact path | 11/16 (69%) |
shot | 0 |
dribbling success | 1/2 |
loss of ownership | 11 times |
key pass | 0 |
won a duel | 4/8 |
collect | 4 |
It was a disastrous signing, not just because of his performances, but because it stood in the way of one of the best academy graduates we’ve seen at the Emirates Stadium.
Still, he’s unlikely to be the number one candidate this summer.
£27m star must be sold by Arsenal before Madueke
Madueke may have been poor, but at least he’ll have something to show for his efforts heading into 2026. The truth is, it’s probably just as good that they signed him now that Saka is out.
He has played a key role at times this season, scoring a goal against Club Brugge in the Champions League and finding the back of the net in the win over Bayern Munich. His goal and assist in the 4-0 win over Leeds in January were also crucial when Saka was sidelined injured.
Leandro Trossard, by contrast, was arguably even more depressed at the end of what was a decisive season for the future of his Arsenal career.
In fact, the Belgian player has signed a fantastic contract. Signed from Brighton for just £27m when the Gunners failed to sign Mykhailo Mudryk, it’s safe to say Arteta and co have had the last laugh there.
Career at Trossard Arsenal | ||
|---|---|---|
season | game | goals and assists |
2022/23 | twenty two | 11 |
2023/24 | 46 | 19 |
2024/25 | 56 | 19 |
2025/26 | 38 | 14 |
He was a clutch player, if ever there was a clutch player. He finished the 2023/24 season with 17 goals, with only Saka scoring more goals (20). He saved a point with a late equalizer against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, scored against Liverpool, scored again against Chelsea and found the back of the net against Manchester United.
He also scored a vital goal in the Champions League last-16 match against Porto, and in the next round against Bayern Munich he scored the equalizer with just a few moments left to save a 2-2 draw in the quarter-final first leg.
He is also a difference-maker and a player that Arteta can rely on. His seven goals and three assists as a substitute are the most for a sub in England’s top flight since arriving in north London in January 2023.
His set of qualities surprised many within the Emirates. Small and bipedal, he has a similar personality to Santi Cazorla.
Like the Spaniard, the way he manipulates the ball and uses his body to evade players is strikingly similar. The way he feints, twists and runs past players is certainly reminiscent of Cazorla in his prime at Arsenal.
Just ask Pedro Polo how good Trossard is in tight spaces. The Spurs defender is still recovering from what the Arsenal winger did to him in January 2025.
But while Trossard had some great moments in Arsenal colors similar to Cazorla, his powers are now waning. Signing a new contract with a pay rise and no extension last summer, he quickly repaid his faith by scoring eight goals and scoring six in the first 22 games of the 2025/26 season.
But in 2026 alone, he was even worse than Madueke. The 31-year-old is beyond his best, evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t scored this year. In fact, he has not scored in 22 consecutive games since finding the back of the net against Aston Villa in late December. During that time, he also only recorded two assists.
He is at the lowest point in his career at Arsenal and it’s time to call it quits. For the Cazorla-esque winger, he has had a very impressive time in the English capital but is in decline and will have to leave this summer to make room for an upgrade.
Worse than Maduke: Arsenal’s ex-Saka will never play for the club again
Arsenal have a lot of problems down the flank.
