Are Chelsea the only team that can stop Arsenal this season?

Dubai: After ending a 22-year wait to be crowed Premier League champions last season, Arsenal head into the new campaign favourites to retain their title and with a clear drop in quality in England’s top-flight, Chelsea have emerged as the team who could challenge them closest this season.

Arsenal kicked off the 2026/27 season in style beating newly promoted Coventry City 3-0 on Friday at the Emirates. This came after beating last season’s title rivals Manchester City by the same scoreline just a week prior in the Community Shield.

The Gunners dominant start has been further strengthened by their recruitment this summer which has added more quality and depth across the squad.

The arrivals of Ezri Konsa and Piero Hincapié have bolstered their defensive options, while Christos Tzolis adds another attacking threat, giving Mikel Arteta even greater depth in a squad already packed with quality.

Although what Arteta has built at Arsenal should not be understated, it is impossible to ignore the competition around them, with several of their biggest rivals appearing weaker or undergoing major changes heading into the season.

Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool all dropped points on the opening weekend, with Manchester City and Chelsea the only other members of the traditional ‘Big Six’ to claim victories.

Of course, one weekend isn’t enough to come to any major conclusions, but it does highlight a wider point that almost every side who would traditionally be expected to challenge for the title has undergone significant change this summer, even those who started with a win.

Manchester United have made Michael Carrick their permanent manager after his successful spell as caretaker last season, but there are still questions over whether their squad has enough quality and depth to genuinely compete with Arsenal across a full campaign.

Tottenham, meanwhile, have made some smart additions in the transfer market, but after finishing 17th in each of the past two seasons, their immediate target is likely to be a return to the top four rather than a title challenge.

Liverpool face perhaps the biggest transition of all, having lost Mohamed Salah, arguably the defining figure of their modern era, while also replacing Arne Slot with Andoni Iraola after Slot was sacked. They have yet to find a convincing replacement for Salah in the transfer market, leaving significant questions over how they replace that attacking output.

Manchester City, too, have lost the most influential figure of their modern history in Pep Guardiola, with Mikel Meresca now at the helm. Their opening-day victory over Bournemouth did little to convince, with City needing a late goal to secure three points in a largely underwhelming performance.

I know the Blues have a new boss as well in Xabi Alonso, and it will inevitably take time for him to implement his ideas. But look beyond their 3-2 win over Fulham and there is plenty to like on paper.

Alonso arrives with a proven track record of winning at the highest level, having transformed Bayer Leverkusen into Bundesliga champions while going unbeaten throughout the 2023/24 league campaign.

What is particularly interesting is the apparent shift in Chelsea’s recruitment strategy. Rather than relying almost exclusively on young prospects, they have added proven Premier League experience through players such as Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, while also bringing in the established Maxence Lacroix.

That experience could be exactly what their talented young squad has been missing.

There are still huge question marks over whether Chelsea have enough consistency and defensive solidity to genuinely overcome Arsenal across a full season, but for the first time in a while, there is a sense they have the ingredients to make a serious challenge.