Hunger plus confidence gives Arsenal the perfect formula to go back-to-back

Winning the Premier League changes a team. It removes doubt, validates the work being done and gives every player in the dressing room proof that they can survive the pressure of a title race.

For Arsenal, it should also remove the shackles.

For years, every setback carried the weight of previous disappointments. Every difficult result in the run-in prompted questions about whether this team possessed the experience, depth or mentality required to finish the job. Arsenal have now answered those questions.

They know what it takes to win the league because they have done it. That confidence should allow Mikel Arteta’s side to play with greater freedom this season, but crucially, there are still enough hungry players within the squad to ensure that confidence does not become complacency.

Hunger plus confidence. That could be the formula that allows Arsenal to do it all again.

Some of Arsenal’s biggest players did not enjoy the starring roles they would have envisaged in last season’s success. Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz all had their involvement disrupted, while Mikel Merino was an important part of the squad without necessarily defining the title win.

For those players, the new season is not simply about collecting another medal. It is an opportunity to become central figures in a championship-winning campaign. That trio kicked off the season with this desire on full show, with all three purring and getting on the scoresheet.

Saka remains the face of Arsenal’s project, but he will want to be the decisive player across an entire title-winning season. Ødegaard will want to re-establish himself as the creative heartbeat of the team, driving standards as captain and delivering consistently in the biggest moments.

Havertz also has a point to prove. With Arsenal adding further quality in attack, he must fight for his place, but he also has the versatility to play an important role in several positions. Merino, meanwhile, finished strongly and demonstrated his value in both midfield and attack. Both should return determined to claim an even bigger share of the success.

That creates a powerful dynamic. Arsenal are champions, but several of their most talented and influential players should feel that they still have something left to achieve.

The club’s recruitment appears designed to reinforce that mentality.

Bruno Guimarães is entering Arsenal in his peak years, with extensive Premier League experience and the hunger to win the first major league title of his career. He does not need time to understand the demands of English football, and he is not arriving merely to be part of the squad. He is coming to win.

The same would be true of Ezri Konsa. If his move is completed as expected, Arsenal would be adding another established Premier League player at the peak of his career. Konsa has proven himself at Aston Villa and with England, but he has yet to experience the feeling of winning the biggest domestic honours.

Both Bruno and Konsa arrive with the experience of winning trophies, playing in the Premier League and Champions League - but still chasing that very top honour. They have the platform to do that with Arsenal, this season.

These are not speculative additions who may be ready in three years. They are players equipped to contribute immediately, while still possessing the personal ambition to take the next step.

Christos Tzolis brings a different kind of hunger. His first experience of the Premier League did not go as planned, and that gives him a point to prove. He was desperate to make the move to Arsenal and will view this opportunity as a chance to show that he belongs at the highest level.

There is something compelling about the blend Arteta is assembling.

Arsenal have the confidence of champions and a core of players who understand exactly what is required. They also have key individuals who missed significant moments, played supporting roles or are still searching for the first major title of their careers.

That should prevent the squad from feeling satisfied. The collective has achieved something special, but many of the individuals within it will believe their best contributions are still to come.

These feel like the key pillars in the construction of a squad ready to go again: experience without fatigue, confidence without complacency and hunger without desperation.

There is still work to do before the window closes, with around a week remaining for Arsenal to tidy the squad and add the final piece.

Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Jesus should all be moved on, while a sale for Gabriel Martinelli, now in talks with a move to Saudi, could generate the money and space required to recruit another elite forward. Arsenal cannot allow expensive fringe players to remain simply because suitable deals have been difficult to arrange.

The ideal final addition would be Julián Álvarez. If there is genuine movement around the Argentine, Arsenal should be prepared to explore every route to make it happen. That could even include allowing Viktor Gyökeres to move in the opposite direction, either directly or as part of the wider negotiations, if it substantially reduces the fee.

Gyökeres is an excellent striker, but Álvarez is one of the few available forwards who could elevate the entire attack. He can play through the middle, from the left or alongside another striker, and he possesses the quality and mentality required to decide the biggest matches.

I would also be attentive to the situation of Bradley Barcola. He seemed destined for Liverpool but they have a lot to do and he’d cost a lot of money to bolster a position they are already strong in.

Arsenal have already built the foundations required to defend their crown. They have the belief that comes from winning, influential players determined to play bigger roles and new arrivals desperate to secure the honours missing from their careers.

One final attacking addition could complete the picture.

Hunger plus confidence equals winning, and Arsenal possess both in abundance.