In today’s article, we’re going to be looking at five (5) most important players for Arsenal’s ahead of the new 2024-25 season.
Arsenal are a great team right now. Having narrowly missed out on the league title by just two points, there is much anticipation for them to perform well again this season.
So creating this list was a challenge because Arsenal is full of star players and it’s the most they’ve had since the Invincible era. So here’s the list:
5) Kai Havertz
Starting off at number five is the Germany internation, Kai Havertz.
What a turnaround it has been for Havertz among football fans and Arsenal supporters who once rolled him off as a flop.
However, thanks to Havertz’s quality and Mikel Arteta’s management, he has become a massive hit and he is now one of Arsenal’s most important players. Most of this is due to Havertz’s physical attributes and his goal-poaching abilities.
His positional versatility also makes him invaluable as he can play midfield when needed. Havertz will primarily be used as Arsenal’s focal point in the centre-forward position, where he excels at holding up the ball, bringing other attackers into play.
Havertz also offers Arsenal an aerial threat, something they’ve lacked for a long time. His incredible stamina and durability makes him even more important to the team.
4) William Saliba
We have incredible centre-back warrior, William Saliba next on the list of Arsenal’s most important players.
Despite this being only his third season in the Premier League, the 23-year-old is not only Arsenal’s best defender but arguably the best centre-back in the league, especially now that Van Dijk is ageing and Ruben Diaz has dipped in form.
Saliba is known for his calm composure on the ball and his ability to use his tall, strong frame to make last-ditch tackles. He continues to improve with each season, and he’s yet to reach his peak.
Saliba has formed a great partnership with Gabriel, and while there’s some debate of who is better, Saliba stands out as a superior defender because of his tackling, positioning, composure on the ball, and most importantly, being less prone to mistakes than Gabriel.
So yes, Saliba is at number four on the rankings.
3) Martin Odegaard
It was difficult to rank him this low because he was Arsenal’s best player last season, but I believe the top two players are slightly more important for this year.
Odegaard plays many crucial roles for the club. As captain, he leads by example, pressing defenders relentlessly until the final whistle. He is also Arsenal’s most creative and attacking outlet, often being the one to create magic on the pitch.
Few in the Premier League, aside from maybe De Bruyne, can match Odegaard’s playmaking abilities. He has improved every aspect of his game since joining the club four years ago. He’s improved his dribbling, passing, assist, even his finishing.
Odegaard’s intelligence on the pitch, leadership, and ability to score important goals, makes him vital to Mikel Arteta’s plans. Players like him are rare gems, and it’s incredible to think Arsenal signed him for just £30 million from Real Madrid.
So Odegaard is Arsenal’s number three most important player for the 2024-25 season.
2) Declan Rice
Arsenal’s record signing, most expensive player in Arsenal’s history is number two on this rankings.
Players who come with a hefty price tag, like Rice did, at £100 million, often struggle to live up to the hype. Think of players like Caicedo, Enzo Fernandes, Jack Grealish, Lukaku, even Pogba, but Rice has bucked that trend because he’s lived up to his price tag so much that Arsenal fans joked that they’d happily pay double the price, £200 million, for what he brings to the team.
Rice has given Arsenal what they’ve missed since legendary player Patrick Vieira left, he’s a commanding presence on the pitch, he’s got strength, tenacity, and defensive prowess.
He excels in last-ditch defending and also contributes to the attack. Rice rarely puts a foot wrong. He plays simple passes, but he can also break the line and drive the ball forward as a box-to-box midfielder and he’s often considered the second-best defensive midfielder in the Premier League, just behind Rodri.
There’s times he shows that he’s better than Rodri but he comes in at number two at Arsenal’s most important playlist.
1) Bukayo Saka
Finally, at number one, Arsenal’s most important player of course, star boy Bukayo Saka.
One of the most beloved footballers in England.nSaka is known for his humility and good manners but on the pitch, he is an absolute monster. Time and again, rival fans write him off and Saka just keeps improving and proving everyone wrong.
As an homegrown talent, the fans place extra pressure on him to succeed, he always delivers. Saka’s physicality, dribbling ability, and his now trademark move of cutting in and powering shot into the net makes him a formidable force.
He has great finishing, has powerful shots, excellent passing, and great crossing ability. He is an all-rounded winger with virtually no weakness. Saka has improved his goal-scoring stats every season for Arsenal.
For example, going back three years ago, he scored 12 goals. Then two years ago, he improved that by scoring 15 goals in a season and the last season, he had his best scoring season with 20 goals. So he’s only getting better.
This season, he should be aiming for 25 goals or 30 goals as long as he just continues the trajectory. Saka is a manager’s dream because he also defends and he’s also never injured.
At the age of 22, it’s incredible Arsenal have such a good player that came from the academy and is now a star player in the team and a star player in the whole world of football, he’s without a doubt Arsenal’s most important player right now this season.
So that’s the list of the five most important players for Arsenal this season following different metrics.
Who do you think should or shouldn’t be on the list?