Arsenal currently sit top of the table.
The Gunners are six points clear of Pep’s Manchester City, unbeaten in 18 games across all competitions, and already have one hand on the trophy.
This is the best shape the club has been in since Arteta took the reins back in 2019, with the Spaniard spending close to £1bn in the process to get Arsenal where they are today.
When Arteta initially made the move to join Arsenal as head coach, he talked about “phases” and a long-term plan.
It’s safe to say the final phase of Arteta’s blueprint has finally come to fruition, but getting the Gunners over the finish line is where the 43-year-old has struggled in the past.
With Liverpool having fallen off a cliff and Man City no longer being the dominant force of old, can Arsenal finally win the Premier League for the first time since the ‘Invincibles’ of 2004?
Let’s take a look at the odds.
Arsenal Title Odds 2025/26: Gunners 2/1 Favourites
Arsenal are the official 2/1 Premier League title favourites as we head into the New Year and bettingtools.com currently tip Arsenal to be the league winners.
Behind them are Man City (3/1), Chelsea (33/1), Liverpool (33/1), Aston Villa (80/1), and Man Utd (150/1).
The only genuine title challengers outside of Arsenal are Man City and Chelsea, but most would argue that Chelsea’s squad isn’t quite there yet to seriously go for it.
Man City might not be the dominant force they once were, but Pep Guardiola has his former apprentice’s number and always seems to come out on top when the two are in a title race.
Pep’s City side were able to snatch the trophy away from Arsenal back-to-back over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, leaving Arteta with a sour taste in his mouth.
But Arteta has since added a couple more years of experience under his belt while also performing exceptionally well with Arsenal in the newly formatted UEFA Champions League.
And in the ongoing 2025-26 season, it all seems to have clicked into place for Arteta, who also couldn’t have wished for a better outcome now that former title favourites Liverpool have completely collapsed under Arne Slot.
It really is Arsenal’s to lose this time, although Arteta is more than aware that an experienced (and likely soon to retire) Pep Guardiola is once again on the club’s heels.
If Man City are able to click into gear during the 2nd half of the season and potentially pip Arteta’s Gunners to the title for the third time this decade, it would be a huge upset.
Arteta Refuses to be Drawn on Title Talk
In a recent press conference, Arteta was pushed about Arsenal’s title chances but deflected it:
“I’m confident in what we’ve done up to now and the things that we can control. This is football and now we have to show it every single day what we are capable of.”
“If we are all here with the same purpose, which is to give our best to try to bring success, joy and trophies to this football club, we all have to be in the same boat.”
Arteta is traditionally stoic when it comes to discussing Arsenal’s trophy chances, but he himself will be aware that it seems to be now or never.
Despite all the praise that’s been heaped on Arteta over the years, it’s easy to forget his transfer spending has reached almost £1bn and he’s gone the past five seasons completely trophyless.
If he can’t do it this season, he likely never will, so a lot of it will come down to nerves and whether the club decides to strengthen in January.
Not doing this cost the Gunners in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, where they decided to stick with the hands that they had.
Arteta himself and sporting director Andrea Berta will be aware of this, which is why Arsenal will almost certainly look to bring in another midfielder and winger when the window opens.
It’s not guaranteed to get them the title, but it will certainly go a long way.
Are Any of the Other Title Challengers, like Chelsea and Villa, Worth Betting On?
Outside of Arsenal and Man City, there aren’t any other major title challenges.
Before the season started, most punters were sticking money on Liverpool to win back-to-back titles under Arne Slot.
Liverpool have completely collapsed, though, and it’s far too late for them to recover this season, so the Reds are out of the equation.
Aston Villa could be worth a punt at 80/1 now that Unai Emery has got them firing again, but the former Arsenal manager is more suited to top 4 finishes and winning European trophies.
Chelsea are much improved under Enzo Maresca and could potentially pull off an upset if Arsenal and Man City were to drop off, so at 33/1 you might want to think about it.
Man Utd are still light years off a title race and will be lucky to finish inside the Top 4.
And Sunderland have finally lost their promoted team bounce and the hopes of them going on a title race were nothing more than a long-stretched dream.
The only two teams worth betting on for this season’s Premier League title are therefore Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s Man City, with Arteta looking to make it third-time lucky this time around.
Premier League 2025/26: It’s Arsenal’s Title to Lose
Nobody will disagree: this is Arsenal’s title to lose.
They’ve opened up a healthy gap of points of Man City and the teams below them, have arguably the strongest squad in the entire league, and no longer have to worry about any injury crises.
The key will be maintaining their excellent defensive record — having only conceded 7 goals in the Premier League so far — while continuing to pick up points in the New Year when it starts to heat up.
Rival manager Pep Guardiola of course has the experience card over Arteta and the trophy cabinet to prove it, but his City side isn’t quite what it used to be anymore.
Arsenal glory or a Man City resurgence? We think this will be Arteta’s year. And it’ll be fascinating to watch it unfold.
