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Mikel Arteta’s side may be able to go without adding reinforcements in this area and still keep hold of the Premier League title for the first time in club history.

At the fourth attempt, Arsenal finally won the Premier League in their third title battle against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City last season.

Before that, they were beaten by the Cityzens in 2022/23 after spending most of the campaign on top, then again in 2023/24, and later by a Mohamed Salah-inspired Liverpool in 2024/25.

The Gunners, who clinched the English top-flight title with 85 points in May, have never defended a Premier League crown. However, their bid to do exactly that now looks slightly simpler, and less costly, after an unexpected discovery against Aston Villa.

Arsenal came away winners on Monday evening, collecting all three points with a 1-0 victory at Villa Park.

New arrival Christos Tzolis, who started his Gunners career with two assists in Arsenal’s Community Shield final win over Manchester City, was taken off at half-time against Villa with the score locked at 0-0.

On came Eberechi Eze, who operated on the left wing throughout the second half, a period in which Arsenal went in front and then protected that lead through Bukayo Saka.

Arteta’s squad are not lacking attacking depth, despite youngster Ethan Nwaneri leaving for Borussia Dortmund on loan and Gabriel Martinelli departing for Saudi Arabia.

That was underlined by the fact that both players were missing from the Community Shield final squad, where the north London side were rampant in attack, scoring three goals in under 50 minutes.

Among the substitutes that day were Eze, Saka, Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice, while Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Bruno Guimaraes and Tzolis were given starts against Enzo Maresca’s team.

And after Eze’s outing against Villa, it now seems any concerns over needing further cover on the left flank have eased, with the England international looking well suited to compete for that role.

The numbers told their own story: 80% pass accuracy, three duels won, seven carries covering almost 100 metres in total, one of them progressive, and six kilometres covered.

More importantly, Arsenal took three points after a dominant second-half display — restricting the pursuing Villans to 0.24 Expected Goals (xG), while Arteta’s men posted 0.7 and scored the match-winning goal.

A lot has been said about Arsenal’s quality in that position, but Eze’s display now clearly deserves consideration as an alternative to Tzolis.

The Gunners are reported to have tested Lyon’s resolve over Malick Fofana, but were knocked back after making a low offer for the player. That seems to have opened the door for Sunderland to sign the winger for a fee the French club considered more acceptable, in what has been one of the strongest deals of the summer transfer window.

Sitting second in the Premier League table and still yet to concede, the outlook appears bright for Arteta’s side. And supporters could be forgiven for seeing Eze’s cameo as a clear message — Arsenal can retain their league title, and they may already possess every tool required to do it.