Some might argue that Arsenal’s best attacking line-up sees Declan Rice out wide (right by the corner flag), with Gabriel, William Saliba and various other tall chaps – any will do, really – stood “in and around the keeper” to use modern parlance. In and around the penalty area? OK, we can accept that. But in the keeper? That seems a bit much, even for Arsenal.
Anyway, we digress. Ignoring Arsenal’s prowess from corners and set pieces, others might suggest that if Mikel Arteta doesn’t know what Arsenal’s best attacking line-up by now (and we really don’t think he does), how are we supposed to? Well, we’ll give it our best shot! Ignoring the back four and the goalkeeper, what is Arsenal’s best outfield team in terms of their attacking prowess?
Amazing Squad Depth Gives Arteta Options Galore
Before we look at what we believe is the most potent Gunners attack, let us look at the many great players boss Arteta has at his disposal. Given the quality below, it is very easy to see just why choosing the best side is so hard, and also the subject of such debate among Arsenal’s supporters.
The club have assembled an incredibly strong squad that means they have exceptional players in all areas. However, we are not detailing the club’s goalkeepers or defenders here. Arsenal almost always play a 4-2-3-1 formation, and while traditionally speaking at least one, and often both, of the midfield pivots are principally concerned with defending, our assessment will include them, effectively meaning we consider the Gunners’ attack as a sextet.
Midfielders
- Martin Odegaard
- Christian Norgaard
- Mikel Merino
- Martin Zubimendi
- Declan Rice
Forwards
- Bukayao Saka
- Gabriel Jesus
- Eberechi Eze
- Gabriel Martinelli
- Viktor Gyokeres
- Leandro Trossard
- Noni Madueke
- Kai Havertz
Two Names Easy
This means Arsenal have 13 players to cover the six available positions. There are probably at least two players who are absolute shoe-ins for Arsenal’s best attacking line-up, and the first of those is the man they recently made their most handsomely remunerated player.
Bukayo Saka
In mid-February 2026, Bukayo Saka signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2030 and is thought to be worth more than £300,000 per week. Saka is the player the Gunners most miss when he isn’t in the side and the one the club’s supporters most cherish. He will not turn 25 until September 2026, and his very best years may be ahead of him.
He already boasts 48 England caps and 14 goals, and his output for club and country has been consistently trending upwards. Quite simply, Arsenal’s best attacking line-up has to include Saka out wide on the right.
Declan Rice
The other obvious pick for the Gunners is a player who was originally signed as a defensive midfielder. Declan Rice remains Arsenal’s most expensive signing, the club having paid West Ham £105m for him in July 2023. That fee now, incredibly, looks a bargain, and Rice is an integral part of Arsenal’s team, and indeed England’s.
Rice has occasionally played further forward for Arsenal be even when operating as one of the two midfielders, he has more license to get forward than he did when he first joined the Gunners. He is increasingly a box-to-box midfielder. Oh, and he takes a handy corner too.
Four Places Up for Grabs
Perhaps the next name on the teamsheet would be Rice’s midfield partner and Martin Zubimendi.
Martin Zubimendi
Signed from Arteta’s former club, Real Sociedad, the manager was desperate to add the Basque maestro in the summer of 2025, and it soon became very easy to see why. Like Rice, he is more than just a defensive midfielder and has a little bit of everything in his locker.
Arsenal paid around £56m for him, and he has slotted into the team effortlessly, becoming a regular. He has chipped in with his share of goals and has 24 Spain caps to his name. It is a sign of just how good he is that when Spain lost Rodri to injury for the second half of the Euro 2024 final against England, they didn’t miss the brilliant Man City man. England fans thought Rodri’s injury might give them a chance, but Zubimendi was simply brilliant for Spain.
Viktor Gyökeres
Next for our line-up, we have a somewhat more controversial selection. Viktor Gyokeres certainly did not have the perfect start at the Emirates. He scored a brace in his second Premier League game and another goal in his fourth, but then went five league matches without hitting the back of the net. His output over the next few months was poor, but more recently he has shown signs of his best football and that he is settling into life at the club.
Some fans remain unconvinced, but we believe the Swede has the class to bring something to Arsenal’s squad that no other player can. He gives the attack a real focal point, and a goal every 165 minutes has to be considered a very decent start to his Arsenal career.
Martinelli and Eze Complete the Attack
Gabriel Martinelli is another who not all Arsenal fans would agree on, but for us he is the best attacking option for the club’s wide-left berth.
Gabriel Martinelli
The Brazilian is still young, something that is sometimes forgotten because he seems to have been around for so long. He played 26 times (all competitions) for Arsenal in his debut campaign back in 2019/20 and then just 22 a year later.
However, since then his involvement has gone up, with 36 appearances in 2021/22, then 46, 44, and 51 last year. By early March, he had already turned out for the Gunners 37 times in 2025/26, netting 11 goals, and his acceleration and dribbling ability offer a huge threat.
Eberechi Eze
That leaves us with one more spot to fill, and it goes to the man Arsenal stole from under the noses of rivals Spurs, Eberechi Eze. The boyhood Gunner is another who has not necessarily settled immediately, with some suggesting Arteta has stunted his attacking spirit. However, Eze plays with a delightful joy, is marvellously creative and always seems to have an extra second – or two – on the ball.
Playing ahead of Rice and Zubimendi gives him a degree of freedom, and his vision is useful in trying to break down the low blocks Arsenal often face. Not all Arsenal fans would include him in their best attacking line-up. But given his five goals in two derby games against Spurs, he has certainly written his name into the folklore of the club.
Conclusion
There you have it. Arsenal’s greatest front six are: Rice and Zubimendi as a midfield two, Martinelli on the left, Saka on the right, Eze in a floating number 10 role, with Gyokeres up front. And Gabriel and Saliba at corners!