The Arsenal Football Club Limited is the legal name behind one of the most recognisable sporting brands in the world, and right now the Gunners are doing what the badge demands. They are defending a Premier League title, sitting top of the table on 24 points, and handling a Champions League campaign that has already included a hard-earned point in Munich. It has not been a flawless autumn, and a humiliating night in Lancashire proved it. But the broad picture is of a club with a settled identity, a deep squad and a manager who has spent nearly seven years building something that finally looks complete.
This article covers how the club got here, who is in the building on both the men’s and women’s sides, how the last ten matches went, and what lies ahead.
From Woolwich munitions workers to the Emirates
The story begins in 1886, when workers at the Royal Arsenal armaments factory in south-east London formed a team called Dial Square. They renamed themselves Royal Arsenal, then Woolwich Arsenal, and in 1913 crossed the river to north London, settling in Highbury. The move was controversial at the time, and it shaped the club’s identity for the next century.
The great eras followed in waves. Herbert Chapman’s 1930s side was a tactical marvel. George Graham’s disciplined teams won trophies around a famously tight back line. Then came Arsène Wenger, who arrived in 1996 and rewired English football with new ideas about diet, scouting and attacking play. His peak came in 2003-04, when Arsenal went through an entire league season unbeaten, the “Invincibles”. No top-flight English side has matched it in the Premier League era.
In 2006 the club left Highbury for the Emirates Stadium, a ground holding roughly 60,000 people. The move was financially painful for several years and left Arsenal short of trophies, but it also gave the club a modern home and a permanent revenue base.
The company behind the club
Fans talk about Arsenal as a team, but legally it is a business. The Arsenal Football Club Limited is the operating company that employs the players, runs the matchday operation and holds the club’s commercial contracts. It sits within a larger group structure that is controlled by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the American sports group led by Stan Kroenke. Kroenke gradually built up his stake over the previous decade and took full ownership in 2018 after buying out Alisher Usmanov.
Ownership has always been debated among supporters, and protests over the years have been loud. What is hard to argue with is the recent direction of travel. Under the current structure, The Arsenal Football Club Limited has funded a rebuilt squad, a modernised training ground and a recruitment department that has been far more decisive than in the mid-2010s. The club spent heavily again this summer, with the Guimarães, Tzolis and Hincapié deals leading the way.
Mikel Arteta and the title
Arteta took over in December 2019, an inexperienced manager inheriting a team in the bottom half of the table. The early years were bumpy. He was criticised for rigidity, for his touchline manner, and for results that often fell short of the club’s ambitions. Slowly, though, the project took shape. Arsenal finished second in three consecutive seasons, losing the title race to Manchester City each time, before finally getting over the line in 2025-26 to be crowned Premier League champions.
That season was not perfect. They lost the Carabao Cup final 2-0 to Manchester City at Wembley in March, ending any talk of a quadruple. Still, the league title was the one that mattered most, and it ended a wait that stretched back to the Invincibles. Arsenal also reached the Champions League final that season, a measure of how far the club has come.
This season’s start has been strong at the top. Arsenal are first in the Premier League with eight wins from nine, a point of separation from Manchester City, with Brighton third. But the cup picture is messier, which brings us to the last ten matches.
The latest 10 matches
All competitions, most recent first:
| # | Date | Competition | Match | Result | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Nov 2026 | Champions League | Slavia Prague vs Arsenal | 1-2 | Win |
| 2 | 1 Nov 2026 | Premier League | Liverpool vs Arsenal | 0-1 | Win |
| 3 | 27 Oct 2026 | Carabao Cup (Round 4) | Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal | 1-1 (Fleetwood won 5-3 on pens) | Loss |
| 4 | 24 Oct 2026 | Premier League | Arsenal vs Everton | 2-0 | Win |
| 5 | 21 Oct 2026 | Champions League | Bayern Munich vs Arsenal | 2-2 | Draw |
| 6 | 18 Oct 2026 | Premier League | Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal | 0-1 | Win |
| 7 | 13 Oct 2026 | Champions League | Arsenal vs Lille | 3-0 | Win |
| 8 | 10 Oct 2026 | Premier League | Arsenal vs Leeds United | 2-1 | Win |
| 9 | 19 Sep 2026 | Premier League | Brighton vs Arsenal | 3-0 | Loss |
| 10 | 15 Sep 2026 | Carabao Cup (Round 3) | Arsenal vs Ipswich Town | 4-2 | Win |
Across those ten games Arsenal won seven, drew one and lost two, scoring 18 goals and conceding 10. Both defeats are worth a closer look.
The Brighton game in September was a clean, uncomfortable 3-0 loss, the only league defeat so far. It happened right after the international break and looked like a one-off rather than a trend, since Arsenal have won every league game since.
The Fleetwood result is the one that will be remembered. Arsenal lost to fourth-tier Fleetwood on penalties after a 1-1 draw, with 16-year-old Max Dowman sent off late in the game and Bruno Guimarães missing the decisive spot kick. Arteta rotated heavily, and the line-up leaned on academy players and fringe names, including a debut for goalkeeper Illan Meslier. Arsenal had 18 shots but could not find a winner. It was a deeply embarrassing exit, but also one with low consequences for the real season: it removes one trophy from the list and gives the first team more rest.
The most impressive performances sit elsewhere. Winning 1-0 at Anfield is never easy. Taking a point at Bayern after twice going behind showed resilience, and beating Slavia Prague on the road in midweek kept the Champions League campaign comfortable.
The men’s first team
Squads shift during a season through injuries, loans and form, so treat this as a snapshot from early November rather than a final registration list.
Goalkeepers. David Raya remains the number one, a keeper who is as comfortable with the ball at his feet as he is making saves. Kepa Arrizabalaga is the experienced backup, and Illan Meslier arrived on a free transfer from Leeds to add competition. Kepa had a rough time in the Carabao Cup final in March, and his place in the pecking order has been a talking point.
Defenders. The centre-back group is the foundation of the team. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães are the established pairing, tough, quick and excellent in the air. Behind them there is real depth, because the summer added Ezri Konsa, Piero Hincapié and Cristhian Mosquera, which gives Arteta cover in several positions. At full-back, Ben White and Jurriën Timber can both play on either side, while Riccardo Calafiori and Nico O’Reilly offer different options on the left. The young Marli Salmon has also been getting minutes in the cups.
Midfielders. Declan Rice is the engine, covering huge distances and arriving late in the box. Martín Zubimendi gives control and positional discipline, and captain Martin Ødegaard still provides the creative spark. Bruno Guimarães joined from Newcastle United this summer for £75m, the headline signing of the window. Eberechi Eze adds another attacking, ball-carrying option, though there are reports that he and Zubimendi are no longer automatic in Arteta’s strongest line-up. Myles Lewis-Skelly, the teenager who burst into the first team two seasons ago, keeps developing as a versatile midfielder and defender.
Forwards. Bukayo Saka is still the most dangerous player in the squad, a winger who creates and scores in equal measure. Viktor Gyökeres leads the line. He was central to last season’s title, though by his own admission he arrived last summer needing to improve physically, and he scored in the Fleetwood defeat. Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke and the summer signing Christos Tzolis give Arteta pace on both flanks, and Kai Havertz offers a different kind of centre-forward option when needed. Max Dowman, sent off at Fleetwood, is a player to watch in the long term despite that mistake. Reports suggest Gabriel Jesus left for Barcelona this summer, so the striker options are fewer than they once were.
Arsenal Women
The women’s side is a different story this autumn. Arsenal Women finished second behind Manchester City in the Women’s Super League last season, and Renée Slegers, the head coach, was open about wanting to end a title drought that now stretches back almost eight years. The summer rebuild was significant. Georgia Stanway, Ona Batlle and Géraldine Reuteler were among the arrivals, and Lisa Baum scored on her debut in the opening-day win at Brighton.
The established core remains important. Kim Little is the captain and the team’s calm centre. Alessia Russo is the key attacker. Daphne van Domselaar and Manuela Zinsberger are the goalkeeping options, and defender Taylor Hinds and left-back Steph Catley provide experience in defence. Even so, the early weeks were hard: one report noted just one win from the first four league games, and the team currently sits around seventh in the table. Fans have questioned whether the new signings have bedded in, and whether Slegers can solve it. It is early enough that a recovery is quite possible, but the pressure is real.
What is coming next
The fixture list from here is demanding:
- 7 November: Arsenal vs Hull City (Premier League, home)
- 21 November: Newcastle United vs Arsenal (Premier League, away)
- 24 November: Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund (Champions League, home)
- 29 November: Arsenal vs Manchester City (Premier League, home)
- 9 December: Arsenal vs Real Madrid (Champions League, home)
The Hull game should be routine, and the win probability sits above 80 percent. The real tests are the stretch from late November, with Dortmund, a title-shaping meeting with Manchester City and then a visit from Real Madrid. With City only three points back, the 29 November game at the Emirates could be the day the title race becomes clear, or tighter.
Strengths and worries
There is a lot to like. Arsenal are the only team with a league record of 8 wins from 9, the defence is among the best in Europe, and set-piece routines remain a weapon. The squad is deep enough that Arteta can change nine or ten players for a cup tie and still field talented players. The summer investment, more than £200m according to one report, has widened the pool.
The concerns are smaller but they exist. Heavy rotation in domestic cups has produced the Fleetwood disaster, and Arteta will have to decide whether the cups deserve more serious selections. Goals can also dry up in tight games, since four of the last five league wins came by a single goal. Injuries to Rice, Saliba or Saka would test the depth. And Champions League knockout rounds always bring different pressure.
Closing thoughts
Whatever happens in the coming weeks, the direction at the club is clear. The Arsenal Football Club Limited has gone from a decade of near-misses to the top of English football, and the question now is whether this group can turn one title into a lasting era. The trophy cabinet will not be filled in November, but the games ahead against Manchester City, Dortmund and Real Madrid will say plenty about whether the champions are ready to stay champions.
Frequently asked questions
1. Who is Arsenal’s current manager?
Mikel Arteta has managed the men’s team since December 2019. Renée Slegers is head coach of Arsenal Women.
2. Where are Arsenal in the Premier League table?
Arsenal are top of the table with 24 points from nine games (eight wins, one defeat), three points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
3. Why did Arsenal lose to Fleetwood Town?
In the Carabao Cup fourth round, Arsenal drew 1-1 with the League Two side after a heavily rotated line-up, then lost 5-3 on penalties. Max Dowman was also sent off late in normal time.
4. Who are Arsenal’s biggest summer signings?
Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle United (£75m) is the headline name. Christos Tzolis and Piero Hincapié each cost around £34m, and goalkeeper Illan Meslier arrived on a free transfer.
5. When is Arsenal’s next big game?
The next match is at home to Hull City on 7 November, followed by a trip to Newcastle on 21 November, Dortmund in the Champions League on 24 November and Manchester City at the Emirates on 29 November.
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