Arsenal's Dominance in the New Premier League Season

Paul Scholes and Gary Neville are looking at the new Premier League season and seeing one thing: Arsenal, again.

Mikel Arteta’s side finally smashed their 20-year title drought in May. They haven’t eased off. They opened their defence by brushing aside newly-promoted Coventry City 3-0, a performance that looked less like a first step and more like a continuation of last season’s march.

This doesn’t feel like a champion trying to cling on. It feels like one ready to tighten its grip.

Arsenal out in front

Arsenal have added depth without disturbing the core that carried them to the title. The squad is settled, the hierarchy clear, the style ingrained. Around them, chaos.

Manchester City and Liverpool are both feeling their way through awkward transitions after the departures of Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot. Arsenal, by contrast, are walking into the new campaign with continuity and momentum. That’s why, in the eyes of some of the game’s biggest voices, they are more than favourites. They are the benchmark.

On The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, former striker Dion Dublin stopped short of predicting history, but he didn’t shut the door on it either.

"I'm not going to back Arsenal to win the treble, but I'm not going to rule it out either," he said. "They've got the best and most settled squad and there's a real harmony at the football club."

The word “treble” isn’t being whispered. It’s on the table.

Treble talk from a man who’s done it

When Paul Scholes hears treble talk, he knows exactly what it means. He lived it with Manchester United in 1999. And he didn’t flinch at Dublin’s suggestion.

"I agree with that. I think it’s very possible with the way they’re looking," Scholes said. "I still think in the last week of the transfer window they could bring another player, which is scary. They’ve just signed Ezri Konsa as well who is a top-class defender."

That’s the frightening part for the rest of the league. Arsenal already look complete, yet there’s still room – and time – for more.

Arteta’s summer business has been decisive. Bruno Guimaraes has arrived to add craft and control in midfield. Christos Tzolis brings another attacking option. Konsa, fresh from impressing at Aston Villa, strengthens a defence that was already among the league’s best. These aren’t speculative punts. They are players expected to slot straight into a machine that already works.

Neville’s verdict: “One hundred per cent Arsenal”

Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, didn’t bother with caveats when asked for his title pick.

"One hundred per cent Arsenal. They’re way out in front," he said. "With what they’ve got already now in defence and in midfield, with the good attackers that they’ve got, they’ve got a really good standard, then they’re fine."

No hedging. No “if this” or “if that”. Just a blunt assessment that Arsenal, as things stand, are ahead of everyone else.

That confidence outside the club mirrors the mood inside it. The Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain still stings. So does the Carabao Cup final loss to City. Those near-misses haven’t been brushed aside; they’ve been banked as fuel.

Villa test after opening statement

Next up is Aston Villa on Monday night, a fixture that already carries a different kind of weight. Arsenal aren’t just trying to make it two wins from two. They’re trying to reinforce a message: last season was a beginning, not a peak.

Villa, though, arrive wounded. A grim summer window has unsettled them, and Brighton exposed every crack with a ruthless 4-0 dismantling on Sunday. Unai Emery’s side need a reaction. They need resistance. They need to show they belong on the same pitch as the champions.

Arsenal will show them no sympathy.

With City and Liverpool adjusting to new realities and points already slipping away elsewhere, Arteta knows these early weeks can shape the entire campaign. Drop focus now, and the door opens. Stay ruthless, and the gap can widen before autumn even bites.

The Emirates is already humming with talk of dominance, of eras, of trebles. Another commanding performance on Monday night, and that noise won’t just grow louder – it will start to sound inevitable.