Arsenal's title defence wobbles as champions slump to 3-0 defeat at Brighton

Arsenal were widely expected to dominate the 2026/27 Premier League, partly due to the lack of a competitive rival capable of taking their crown. But a 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Saturday — coupled with Manchester City continuing their perfect start — has tested that theory, and Sky Sports' Sam Blitz says the jury is still out on whether the champions are truly stronger than last season.

New signings: depth or improvement?

Yes, we're only five games in — but questions are being asked about whether Arsenal are genuinely better than the team that won the league last term.

The Gunners signed Ezri Konsa to bolster their defence, but he has replaced the injured William Saliba in the team, so is not exactly seen as an improvement in that area — other than depth. Bruno Guimaraes was another marquee signing and showed his worth against Sunderland, but his underwhelming performance at Brighton raised early questions about whether he is an improvement on Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is perhaps better-skilled than the Brazilian at handling a high-pressing opponent.

Tellingly, Arsenal have won every Premier League game in which Lewis-Skelly has started in midfield.

Goals still to be replaced

Christos Tzolis has been a successful buy overall but is yet to score for Arsenal, and the goalscoring output that the now-departed Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli provided last season has yet to be replaced. Other than those three players, Arsenal are pretty much the same squad that won the league.

The likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka have found early-season form they lacked last term — but the next batch of fixtures after the international break will test the claims that Arsenal have improved. It will test their title defence.