2024 has been a strange year for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side have had the best record of any Premier League team over the last 12 months, but finished second to Manchester City last season and were behind Liverpool (and Nottingham Forest) at the end of December 2024.
The Gunners won their first Champions League knockout round win in 14 years, but collected as many trophies as Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United (a Community Shield compared to an FA Cup win).
The highs may not have been as high as the lows were low, but there were still plenty of moments to enjoy along the circuitous road to 2024.
While Bukayo Saka’s unwavering consistency, Martin Odegaard’s magical bursts and Gabriel’s set pieces all deserve recognition, William Saliba must be considered a standout player for the Gunners.
For all the attacking talent at Arteta’s disposal, his team is unmistakably built on a foundation of concrete defensive determination, with Saliba at the heart of it. Not only does the silk-lined Frenchman provide the kind of commanding presence that inspires universal acclaim among his peers, but he also makes those around him – most notably Gabriel – far better.
David RayaThe start to life between the sticks at Arsenal was made extremely difficult by his manager. It’s long forgotten since Aaron Ramsdale and his Hagrid costume were shipped to Southampton in the summer, but Arteta originally claimed he would be changing his goalkeepers.
This unnecessary misdirection never really caught on, and Raya initially struggled to get off to a confident start in front of a fan base that still longed for its likeable predecessor. A memorable Champions League evening in March brought the decisive turning point.
Raya had already gained confidence before saving two penalties as Arsenal knocked Porto out of the last 16 in a seething atmosphere at the Emirates. The specter of Ramsdale, watching from the bench, was gone.
Since then, the Spain international has gone from strength to strength, pulling off a series of increasingly acrobatic saves at the start of the current campaign to ensure Arsenal’s season doesn’t completely derail.
Ethan NwaneriThe club’s first Premier League start may have come in 2025, but the 17-year-old prodigy made a significant impact throughout 2024. In 17 appearances – most of which were cameo roles in England’s top flight – the skilful left-footer managed to score four goals.
Such is Nwaneri’s undeniable talent – a sense of time and space that his teammate Riccardo Calafiori has described as “pure” – that Arteta has had to show extreme self-control not to overwhelm the teenager.
“60 million are going down the drain,” or so it is said, “Kai Havertz score again!” Arsenal’s often awkward German, a player whose legs seem a little too long and his arms a little too short for his angular frame, scored an impressive 21 goals for the Gunners.
Despite not being one of Europe’s top scorers in 2024, Havertz narrowly trailed Bukayo Saka with 20 goals. Arsenal are close behind with 19 goals in the league alone.
2024 wasn’t a great recruiting year for Arsenal. The Gunners failed to sign a single experienced player in the last January window and – apart from David Raya’s loan deal becoming permanent – only added three new recruits to Arteta’s squad last summer.
Raheem Sterling’s terrible six months are hardly worth considering, so it’s a straight penalty shootout between Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino.
The two towering figures, brought in from European teams that performed slightly below the upper echelons of elite continental football, both had their ups and downs.
Merino clearly broke his shoulder during his first training session with the Gunners, yet he played just three minutes less than his Italian counterpart, who struggled with less dramatic injuries during his first six months in north London. Calafiori is simply ahead. This recognition is almost entirely thanks to his spectacular equalizer in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in September, before the defending champions had collapsed.
Arsenal hosted Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool for the last time at the beginning of February. With the Gunners five points behind league leaders Reds at the time, they had everything to do at the Emirates. And they did.
Arteta’s team outplayed, outthought and overtook the visitors. A double nine tandem of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz tore up the lavender jerseys, leaving the normally imperious duo of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate plagued by uncertainty and indecision.
Bukayo Saka’s opener was canceled out just before half-time by an objectively hilarious handball from Gabriel, who somehow conspired to bring Liverpool level, but the Gunners hit back to win 3-1.
The Emirates were euphoric at the final whistle and Odegaard seized the opportunity by stealing Stuart MacFarlane’s camera to take a photo of the pitchside photographer. The questionable quality of these recordings was the only negative thing about this unforgettable evening. “To be honest,” Odegaard admitted, “I don’t know, it was a bit blurry!”