No new striker, no worries - Havertz and Odegaard torment Chelsea

Arsenal shelled out close to £200m on new signings during the summer transfer window but fell short of landing the elite forward they craved.

Former Manchester City goalscorer Julian Alvarez was on their radar but remains at Atletico Madrid, while the Gunners were also interested in Aston Villa 's Morgan Rogers, Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Vinicius Jr.

While Rogers opted for London rivals Chelsea , Barcola moved to Liverpool and Vinicius Jr has stayed at Real Madrid.

Yet reigning champions Arsenal have started this season as strongly as they finished 2025-26, when they celebrated their first Premier League title for 22 years.

After wins over Coventry City and Aston Villa , they came from behind to beat big-spending Chelsea 2-1 in a thrilling derby on Sunday - thanks to goals from two familiar faces.

Kai Havertz, an Arsenal player since 2023, and Martin Odegaard, who joined in 2021, scored as they passed their first big test of the campaign against opponents who have spent close to £350m since the end of last season.

A maximum nine points from three games, one goal conceded and big players stepping up.

"I can't see anyone stopping Arsenal ," former Premier League winner Chris Sutton told BBC Sport.