The dawn of the 2025/26 season has brought electricity to the air in North London—a sense that something rare is unfolding. In each of the last three seasons, Arsenal have been title contenders, ultimately being pipped to the title on each occasion and finishing as runners-up. However, with a summer spending spree headlined by the arrivals of Viktor Gyökeres, Eberechi Eze, and Martin Zubimendi, there’s a very real feeling that The Gunners’ 22-year Premier League drought could well come to an end.
Mikel Arteta’s side has started the season perfectly. They ground out a 1-0 victory away at rivals Manchester United before thumping Leeds 5-0 a week later, prompting online betting sites to slash odds on The Gunners winning the title this season. Before the campaign kicked off, the popular Bovada site had reigning champions Liverpool earmarked as the title frontrunners; however, both they and Arsenal are now listed as the 7/4 joint favorites.
Arsenal’s Young Revival
At the heart of Arsenal’s current renaissance is academy graduate Bukayo Saka. The Hale End forged superstar has swapped wonderkid status for global superstardom—and coolly carried the weight of expectation onto his slender shoulders. The Englishman’s journey has been meteoric, and now fellow academy stars Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and 15-year-old phenom Max Dowman all appear poised to follow in Saka’s footsteps.
While these young prodigies are the current talk of the Emirates Stadium, having promising youth players progress through the academy is something that Arsenal has become known for over the years. Here are the very best players to have come through the ranks at Hale End.
Arsenal strikes first to open their season!
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) August 17, 2025
Ashley Cole
When Cristiano Ronaldo calls you his toughest ever opponent, it’s clear that you’re someone special. Well, that someone was Ashley Cole. Raised in East London and refined within Arsenal’s academy, the pacey left-back was no overnight sensation. Initially viewed by coaches as a forward courtesy of his blistering speed, he was recast as a left-back, and the decision paid dividends.
The talented Englishman was thrust into the limelight following an injury to Brazilian Sylvinho at the turn of the millennium, and boy, did he grab the opportunity with both hands. By 2001-02, Cole was a first-choice pillar—providing width, steel, and a relentless 90-minute threat. He was a vital cog in the 2003-04 Invincibles, as well as becoming part of England’s Golden Generation of 2002-2006.
But greatness, almost inevitably, courts drama. Throughout his latter years at Arsenal, contract disputes were rife, and he eventually made the shocking move to rivals Chelsea, a move which many of the Gunners’ faithful consider unforgivable even 20 years on. At Arsenal, Cole captured two Premier League titles and three FA Cups in just over 200 appearances; at Chelsea, he added another league title, four more FA Cups, a Europa League, and the crowning glory—a Champions League triumph.
Cole’s international honors are undisputed—107 England caps, the first Black player to reach the 100 mark, a mainstay across five major tournaments, and a place in the UEFA Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament. The numbers only hint at the truth: Cole was both the prototype and the gold standard for his position, whether those Arsenal fans who are yet to forgive him for crossing the London divide are willing to admit it or not.
Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas arrived at Arsenal’s doors as a La Masia alumnus, but became the beacon of Wenger’s post-Invincibles era. He was thrust into the main stage as a 16-year-old in 2003, debuting as a 16-year-old in a League Cup clash against Rotherham United with composure defying his tender years. But it wasn’t until two years later that he would really begin to emerge.
Following the departure of Patrick Vieira in the summer of 2005 and with the Emirates Stadium nearing completion, manager Arsene Wenger had to place his faith in youth in order to repay the massive loan debt incurred from the new stadium. Fabregas was thrust into the limelight as the beating heart of the Gunners’ midfield, and he certainly repaid his manager’s faith in him.
By 19, Fabregas was leading the Gunners to a UEFA Champions League final, playing a starring role against Juventus in the knockout rounds by scoring one and assisting another. From then on, he dictated the tempo in the Premier League’s most enterprising midfield, and by 21, he wore the captain’s armband. By the time he departed for Barcelona in the summer of 2011, his statistics—57 goals, 95 assists from 303 appearances—only hinted at his influence.
Yet for all his poetic passing, an era of silverware drought meant that Fabregas never claimed a major trophy during his time at the Emirates. In 2011, a tug from the Blaugrana proved irresistible, and the Catalonian departed for his homeland to claim a slew of trophies with his boyhood club. On the international stage, he won the FIFA World Cup, as well as two European Champions League titles, during the greatest era in Spanish football history. However, he, like the aforementioned Cole, would ultimately end up wearing Chelsea Blue, joining Jose Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge revolution in 2014 and finally winning the Premier League.