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2024 was a strange year for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side boasted the best result by any Premier League team over 12 months, but they finished last season runners-up to Manchester City and trailing Liverpool (as well as Nottingham Forest) by the end of December 2024.
The Gunners won their first Champions League knockout round win in 14 years, but have collected as many trophies as Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United (one Community Shield 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 enjoy along the circuitous route through 2024.
While Bukaya Saka’s unerring consistency, Martin Odegaard’s magical attacks and Gabriel’s set-up skills are worthy of recognition, William Saliba he has to be considered an excellent performer for the Gunners.
For all the attacking talent at Arteta’s disposal, his team is unashamedly built on solid defensive resolve, with Saliba at the heart of it. The silk-lined French not only offers the kind of powerful presence that leads to universal recognition of his colleaguesbut he makes those around him – especially Gabriel – far better.
David RayHis manager has made life between the goals for Arsenal very difficult to begin with. That has long since been forgotten, with Aaron Ramsdale and his Hagrid costume shipped to Southampton in the summer, but Arteta initially insisted he would rotate his goalkeepers.
That needless misdirection never took off, and Raya initially struggled to make a confident start to a fan base still pining for his likeable predecessor. One an unforgettable evening of the Champions League in March, the tide swung.
Raya had already gained confidence before saving a pair of penalties as Arsenal dumped Porto out of the last 16 in front of a heated atmosphere at the Emirates. Ramsdale’s spirit – watching the action unfold from the bench – was cleansed.
Since then, the Spain international has gone from strength to strength, pulling off a string of acrobatic saves at the start of the current campaign to ensure Arsenal’s season did not completely collapse.
Ethan Nwaneri‘with first Premier League start he may have arrived in 2025, but the 17-year-old boy wonder made a significant impact during 2024. In 17 appearances – most of which were cameos in England’s top flight – the skilful left-footer managed four goals.
Such is Nwaneri’s undeniable talent – a respect for time and space that his team-mate Riccardo Calafiori described as “pure” – that Arteta had to exercise extreme restraint to avoid overplaying the teenager.
“60 million down the drain,” or so the song goes, “Kai Havertz he’s scoring again!” Arsenal’s often clumsy German, a player whose legs look a little too long and arms a little too short for his angular frame, scored an impressive 21 goals for the Gunners.
As long as it is not among The best scorers in Europe in 2024Havertz narrowly escaped Bukayo Saka, who collected 20. Arsenal’s collective score follows the narrow gap to 19 in the league alone.
2024 was not a stunning hiring year Arsenal. The Gunners did not bring in any senior players during the previous January window and – apart from making David Raya’s loan deal permanent – equipped Arteta’s squad with just three new players last summer.
Raheem Sterling’s terrible six months are hardly worth considering, leaving a straight shootout between Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino.
The two towering figures, snapped up from European sides punching above their weight just 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 played just three minutes less than his Italian counterpart, who has struggled with less dramatic injuries during his first six months in north London. Calafiori it just gets the upper hand. That accolade is almost entirely due to his spectacular equalizer in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in September, before the defending champions fell apart.
Arsenal hosted Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool for the last time in early February. Trailing the league leaders Reds by five points at the time, the Gunners had everything to do at the Emirates. And they did.
Arteta’s side overplayed, overthought and elaborated visitors. A false nine from Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz split the lavender shirts, leaving the otherwise powerful pair of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konata full of uncertainty and indecision.
Bukaya Saka’s first strike was canceled out on the stroke of half-time by an objectively hilarious handball from Gabriel, who somehow conspired to equalize for Liverpool, but the Gunners hit back 3-1 win.
The Emirates were euphoric at the final whistle and Odegaard marked the occasion by stealing Stuart MacFarlane’s camera to snap a pitchside photographer. The questionable quality of those recordings was the only negative of a night to remember. “To be honest,” admitted Odegaard, “I don’t know, it was a bit blurry!”
