5 Bold predictions for the new season

This season could be a turning point for Arsenal. After three straight second-place finishes, the pressure is on to finally lift either the Premier League or our first Champions League trophy.

Looking at the mood of Arsenal fans before the season, there is generally a glass half full outlook from some fans. These fans feel as though we have finished 2^nd three years in a row, and we have been able to strengthen our squad. Especially with that elusive center forward. So surely that means that we should be able to get over the line this time around?

Then there’s the other side: glass half empty. We’ve wasted our opportunities to get over the line, especially in the 23/24 season. Now there is no guarantee that we will be able to win it given how strong our competition is. But at the same time, we absolutely must win one of the big trophies. This season feels like now or never for Arteta and his team.

Given that the season is about to start, regardless of which side you lean toward to as a fan, we must believe that we can win. In this article we will discuss 5 bold predictions that if they did happen, would go a long way in assuring that we do win the league or the champions league…or both.

Bold Take 1-Viktor Gyökeres to score 20-25 goals in the league

Okay this one is hard to predict. Viktor has undoubted quality, but you just never know. The most recent top striker to come from the Portuguese league has just moved to Saudi Arabia after things did not go that well for him in the Prem.
Something that has stood out about Viktor though is that he seems very confident and motivated to prove that he can cut it at the top level. What we saw from him in the champions league is also encouraging as he gave some big performances against top teams. Also given the number of chances we create and how many goals he has scored in the last two years, you would think that these numbers aren’t that wild to aim for. Hitting the 20-25 goal mark would go a long way in ensuring that we win the league.

Bold Take 2- Bukayo Saka to win player of the year

Our star boy. We don’t have to say much about him. He has been our most influential player in attack for a few years now. This was only highlighted last year during his injury. We struggled to score or create clear cut chances without him in the team. Also, every year,when you look at the team that wins the league, there is always a standout player that has an outstanding season. Just look at your Salahs or KDBs of recent years. When they win player of the year, their team generally wins the league as well. If we were to win the league, we would need a player to have a season that would be remembered in our history. Looking at how players have performed in the last seasons, the most likely player to give us that kind of season would be Bukayo Saka as our key player.

Bold Take 3-Declan Rice will hit double figures for goals

This really feels like the season when Declan will be unleashed. He has already shown us his ability to score, also in crucial moments. The more games he plays, the bigger his influence on the team becomes. Coupled with the signing of Zubimendi to anchor our midfield, you feel as though Dec as one of our key players, will be given more freedom to show what he can do in the final third. That plus his prowess at set pieces which we saw so brilliantly against Real Madrid last season, could result in him being more and more involved in goal mouth action and thus scoring or assisting a lot more.

Bold Take 4- We will win every game that we take the lead in

This was one of our biggest problems last season. Too many draws and a lot of the draws we took the lead. Instead of pushing on when we had the lead, it felt like we would sit back and hope that the one goal was enough. This clearly did not work looking at how many points we dropped from winning positions. You would imagine that we have learnt from our mistakes and the addition of a striker should eradicate this issue. It is crucial that we keep on pushing once we take the lead to make sure that we kill off the game.

Bold take 5-We will concede the least goals in both the league and Champions League

Over the last couple of seasons, we have become one of the strongest defensive teams in Europe. Our defensive record has been consistently strong. Last season only Liverpool conceded less goals than us in the Champions League, with less games played as they were knocked out earlier than us by PSG. Moreover, no team conceded less goals than us in the Premier League 24/25 season with 34 over a 38-game season. Arteta and the team have worked hard to achieve this. If we can replicate this form at the back in the next season and couple that with scoring more goals up front could be the difference in the Premier League title race.

Bold? Definitely. Impossible? Not for this Arsenal team. If even two or three of these predictions come true, we could finally be talking about a season for the history books.