Arsenal may have failed to land the elite forward they wanted during the summer transfer window, but the Premier League champions have wasted little time showing they remain a formidable force.
The Gunners spent close to £200 million on new recruits during the transfer window but were unable to secure their preferred attacking target.
Julian Alvarez, Morgan Rogers, Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola and Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr were among the players reportedly on Arsenal’s radar. Alvarez remained at Atletico Madrid, while Rogers joined Chelsea, Barcola moved to Liverpool and Vinicius stayed in Spain.
Despite missing out on their attacking targets, Arsenal have made a perfect start to the new campaign.
Mikel Arteta’s side have won all three of their opening league matches, collecting nine points while conceding just one goal.
After beating Coventry City and Aston Villa, Arsenal faced their first major test against big-spending Chelsea on Sunday.
The Gunners came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge, with established stars Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard finding the net.
Chelsea took an early lead through new £117 million signing Morgan Rogers, who struck in the second minute. Arsenal responded before half-time when Havertz equalised, before captain Odegaard completed the turnaround in the 50th minute.
The victory was particularly significant given Chelsea’s huge investment in their squad, with the London club having spent close to £350 million since the end of last season.
Former Premier League winner Chris Sutton believes Arsenal are already setting themselves apart from their rivals.
“They’re such a powerhouse,” Sutton said.
“Chelsea are a good team, but Arsenal always find a way to win.”
Odegaard finding his best form
Odegaard’s resurgence has been one of the early highlights of Arsenal’s campaign.
The Norwegian midfielder has scored three goals in four appearances across all competitions this season, having managed just one goal in 36 appearances last term.
His performances have earned widespread praise, with former Manchester United and England player Ashley Young describing him as a key figure for Arsenal.
Young highlighted the chemistry between Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Havertz, particularly on Arsenal’s right flank.
Havertz also believes his captain is returning to his best.
“He’s an unbelievable player - we have seen that over the last years,” Havertz said.
“He’s going to help us a lot this season.”
Odegaard said Arsenal’s ability to respond after conceding so early against Chelsea demonstrated the team's mentality.
“Our mentality is to keep fighting. We have shown that many times,” he said.
“We never want to concede early, but the reaction is top. We got our reward in the end and the response was brilliant.”
Arsenal chasing another title
Although it remains far too early to predict the outcome of the title race, Arsenal have already laid down an early marker as they look to retain the Premier League crown.
Alongside Manchester City, they are one of only two teams to have won their opening three league matches.
Arsenal have also won eight consecutive league games stretching back to last season.
The club’s strong defensive record is equally impressive. They have opened a top-flight campaign with three victories while conceding fewer than two goals only three times in their history.
The previous occasions came in 1924-25 and 2003-04, the latter being the season Arsenal famously went unbeaten throughout the league campaign.
The Gunners will now turn their attention to Europe, with their Champions League campaign beginning away against Napoli on Wednesday.
They will then return to Premier League action against Sunderland on Saturday.
Havertz believes the victory over Chelsea has given Arsenal confidence ahead of their trip to Italy.
“Chelsea have an amazing squad, but so do we,” he said.
“We knew it was going to be tough. They scored early, so it’s not easy for us, but we believed in ourselves and changed the game around.”
With a perfect league record, just one goal conceded and several key players already hitting form, Arsenal have made it clear that missing out on their marquee forward targets has not stopped them from making an early statement in their title defence.
Based on reporting by BBC