Arsenal’s 2025/26 campaign has been nothing short of a rollercoaster, and much of the conversation swirling around North London this winter has centered on the club’s bold moves in the summer transfer window. Eight new faces arrived at the Emirates, each bringing a unique story and a fresh set of expectations. As the Premier League season unfolds, Arsenal’s new signings are under the microscope, with fans and pundits alike eager to see who’s shining and who’s still searching for their spark.
The headline act among the arrivals is Martin Zubimendi, the Spanish midfielder whose £51 million transfer from Real Sociedad raised eyebrows for all the right reasons. Zubimendi has slotted into Mikel Arteta’s midfield with remarkable ease, forging a partnership with Declan Rice that’s brought stability and flair to Arsenal’s engine room. According to Arsenal Insider, "Arteta is overjoyed with Zubimendi, and so is every Arsenal fan, as the 26-year-old’s £51m price tag looks more and more of a bargain as each game passes." His consistent brilliance has made him the early frontrunner for Arsenal’s best summer signing.
Hot on his heels is Noni Madueke, the dynamic winger whose arrival signified more than just squad depth. Madueke’s presence has given Bukayo Saka genuine competition, allowing Arteta to rotate his star player without fear of a drop in quality. While Madueke’s goal tally isn’t yet where fans might hope, his impact is already being felt, and his future at Arsenal looks exceedingly bright. As Arsenal Insider puts it, "The future of Arsenal is Noni Madueke on the right and Bukayo Saka on the left." That’s a prospect to excite even the most stoic Gunners supporter.
Further down the rankings but still earning praise is Cristhian Mosquera. Signed for just £15 million, the 21-year-old center-back has made only four Premier League starts so far, hampered by early injuries. Yet, Arsenal are confident they’ve unearthed a gem, and Mosquera is already showing he can compete with the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba. His time will come, and the club’s faith in his potential is unwavering.
Eberechi Eze, meanwhile, sits in the middle of the pack. The England international dazzled early on—especially in the aftermath of the North London Derby—but inconsistency and an undefined role have left fans and pundits asking for more. Arteta still seems unsure of Eze’s best position, and until that puzzle is solved, the £67.5 million man remains something of an enigma.
One of the more intriguing summer moves was Piero Hincapie’s deadline-day loan from Bayer Leverkusen, complete with a £45 million option to buy. Initially, some questioned whether Arsenal needed another defender, but Hincapie’s performances have quickly justified the decision. At just 23 and in his first Premier League season, he’s shown promise and adaptability, suggesting his purchase could be a masterstroke by Andrea Berta, Arsenal’s sporting director.
Yet, not every signing has hit the ground running. Viktor Gyokeres, brought in for a hefty £63.5 million after a record-shattering 54-goal campaign with Sporting Club, was supposed to be the answer to Arsenal’s long-standing striker woes. Instead, his debut season has been a tale of frustration and unmet expectations. As of late December, Gyokeres has scored just seven goals in all competitions, falling short of the double-digit mark that seemed a mere formality given his previous exploits.
Much of Gyokeres’s struggle can be traced to an ill-timed injury in November, which interrupted a promising run of form. He had just scored against Burnley and appeared to be finding his feet in North London when disaster struck. Since returning, his performances have been underwhelming—his touch counts in matches against Aston Villa, Club Brugge, and Wolves have been alarmingly low, and he’s completed only 12 passes across those games. As Arsenal Insider notes, "He looks frenetic in front of goal and struggles to create goal-scoring opportunities for himself." That’s a far cry from the predatory confidence he displayed in Portugal.
Complicating matters, Arsenal’s striker situation has been a headache for Arteta all year. Gabriel Jesus’s ACL injury back in January left the Gunners perilously short up front, and while Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard provided stopgap solutions, neither could fill the void. Enter Mikel Merino, the versatile Spaniard who’s flourished in a more advanced role, racking up 30 goal involvements for club and country by Christmas. Merino’s transformation from makeshift center-half at Dortmund to elite number 9 under Arteta has been one of the season’s most unexpected success stories.
Meanwhile, Gyokeres’s struggles have drawn inevitable comparisons to Harry Kane, the one that got away. Once a youth player at Arsenal’s famed Hale End academy, Kane was let go for being "a bit chubby" and "not very athletic," as former academy chief Liam Brady once admitted. "We made a mistake," Brady conceded—a line that still haunts Gunners fans. Kane’s subsequent rise to become Tottenham Hotspur’s and England’s all-time top scorer, and now a goal machine at Bayern Munich, is the stuff of legend. As of late 2025, Kane has bagged 280 goals in 435 games for Spurs, 115 in 121 for Bayern, and 78 in 112 for England. This season alone, the 32-year-old has netted 30 times in 25 outings for the German giants, outpacing even Erling Haaland.
Gyokeres, despite winning the Gerd Muller Trophy as Europe’s best goalscorer in 2024/25, has found the Premier League a much tougher proposition. His struggles have sparked debate among fans and pundits: was the £63.5 million fee a misstep? Did Arsenal gamble too much on last season’s numbers? Or is it simply a matter of adaptation and time?
Other summer arrivals have had mixed fortunes. Christian Norgaard, though not a headline-grabber, has won over Arteta with his professionalism and reliability, even if his minutes have been limited. Kepa Arrizabalaga was brought in as a top-quality backup goalkeeper for just £5 million, but with David Raya firmly entrenched as number one, Kepa’s opportunities have been scarce.
As the season approaches its halfway point, one thing is clear: Arsenal’s summer signings have added depth, competition, and new tactical options. Some, like Zubimendi and Madueke, look like long-term pillars for Arteta’s project. Others, like Gyokeres, are still fighting to justify their price tags and find their place in the squad.
With the January transfer window looming and the Premier League title race heating up, all eyes are on Arsenal’s new boys. Will Gyokeres rediscover his scoring touch? Can Eze carve out a defined role? And will Zubimendi and Madueke continue to shine? The answers will shape not just Arsenal’s season, but perhaps the club’s future for years to come.
