Arsenal 2024/25 season review and player ratings: Raya 9, Odegaard 7, Sterling 4

Season synopsis

Premier League final position: Second

Uefa Champions League: Semi-finals

FA Cup: Third round

League Cup: Semi-finals

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, Arsenal once again fell short in their quest for a Premier League title.

For the third season in a row, the Gunners finished second in the standings, this time behind Liverpool, after two campaigns where Manchester City beat them to the crown.

The failure to sign an out-and-out centre-forward would again prove costly with champions Liverpool outscoring the North London club by 17 goals.

Liverpool's top league scorer was Mohamed Salah with 29, while no player even reached double figures for Arsenal – Kai Havertz led the way with nine.

It was a memorable campaign in the Uefa Champions League with Arsenal securing 19 points out of a possible 24 in the newly expanded group stage – where they finished third.

In the last-16, PSV Eindhoven were smashed 9-3 on aggregate, before reigning champions Real Madrid were thrashed 5-1 over two quarter-final legs. PSG ended their run in the last four.

Best performance of the season

Arsenal 3 Real Madrid 0: Several contenders here. In the Premier League, there were superb 5-1 wins at home to Manchester City and away to Crystal Palace. In Europe, beating PSG 2-0 and Sporting 5-1 in the group stage, plus the 7-1 last-16 first-leg smashing of PSV Eindhoven were hugely impressive, but the Declan Rice-inspired semi-final first-leg win over Real was sensational.

Worst performance of the season

Arsenal 0 West Ham 1: The home and away losses to Bournemouth in the league were poor, while being beaten 2-0 by Newcastle in both League Cup semi-final legs was frustrating. But the February home loss to a West Ham side who had taken one point from four matches was a body blow to Arsenal's title hopes.

Thriller of the season

Arsenal 2 Liverpool 2: There were four exciting 2-2 draws in their league campaign - against Manchester City (A), Liverpool (H), Aston Villa (H) and Crystal Palace (A) - that Arsenal will not forget. Arteta's side were in winning positions but failed to take all three points. They twice lost the lead in October's eventful draw against title rivals Liverpool at the Emirates.

Player of the season

David Raya: Bukayo Saka would have been a shoo-in until his season was curtailed by a serious hamstring injury, while Declan Rice was a consistent driving force in midfield. But goalkeeper David Raya takes the honours after finishing with 13 clean sheets and sharing the Premier League Golden Glove award with Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels.

Goal of the season

Declan Rice's second free-kick v Real Madrid: You simply cannot look beyond that unforgettable night at the Emirates when Rice decided to become a free-kick scoring extraordinaire, sending two wonderful efforts past Thibaut Courtois in the Real goal - the second of which edges the award.

Ratings

All marks out of 10.

Manager

Mikel Arteta – 8

A season of big wins but near-misses at home and abroad, but the fact remains the Spaniard has won just one trophy – the FA Cup – during his five-and-a-half seasons in charge.

Goalkeeper

David Raya – 9

Magnificent campaign from the Spaniard who was an ever-present in 38 Premier League games and played 13 out of 14 in the Champions League. His stunning saves away to Atalanta and Manchester United were arguably the standout moments among many.

Defenders

William Saliba – 8.5

French centre-half firmly established as one of Europe's finest, although he does look slightly less reliable without defensive partner in Gabriel alongside him.

Gabriel Magalhaes – 9

The Brazilian's partnership with Saliba is vital for Arsenal, who boasted the Premier League's meanest defence. Missed the season finale after undergoing hamstring surgery.

Ben White – 7

Injuries restricted the right-back to just 17 Premier League appearances but at least ended the season with a consistent run of games.

Jurrien Timber – 8

The Dutch full-back played 48 games across competitions having missed most of last season with a serious knee injury. Manager Arteta described his efforts this season as “incredible”.

Jakub Kiwior – 7

Versatile Pole slotted in well for the Gunners with Gabriel out injured, producing arguably his best performances since moving to North London in 2023. Linked with move away this summer as he seeks more game time.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 5

Desperately disappointing campaign for the Ukrainian who has fallen out of favour at the Emirates and could leave in the summer. Played just 789 minutes of football compared to more than 2,000 in 2023/24.

Takehiro Tomiyasu – N/A

Nightmare season for Japanese defender who managed just one appearance after undergoing two knee surgeries in what he called “the toughest period in my career”.

Riccardo Calafiori – 7

Injuries have made the Italian's debut campaign a tough one, making 29 appearances in total, although there were still glimpses of his quality – including a superb finish away to Manchester City.

Myles Lewis-Skelly – 9

Young left-back has been one of the stars of the season with the 18-year-old making 39 appearances. Was hailed as “fearless” by club and country teammate Declan Rice after scoring on his England debut.

Kieran Tierney – 6

Restricted predominantly to substitute appearances, the Scottish full-back is rejoining Celtic this summer but was able to end his Arsenal career with a goal against Southampton on the final day of the season.

Midfielders

Thomas Partey – 8

A key player in Arsenal's engine room with manager Arteta describing the Ghanaian's form as the most consistent since joining five years ago.

Martin Odegaard – 7

Captain remains vital to Arsenal's success but suffered a drop in form at a crucial point in the season after coming back from an ankle injury.

Declan Rice – 9

Rice's form has been so good that his £105 million price tag is now barely mentioned. A relentless season which has seen him score nine goals and provide 10 assists across 52 games.

Ethan Nwaneri – 8

Like fellow 18-year-old Lewis-Skelley, it has been a breakthrough campaign for Nwaneri, who scored nine goals in 37 appearances, although 21 of those were off the bench.

Mikel Merino – 8

The Spaniard has proven an important cog in the Arsenal machine. A hard-working, ferocious ball winner on the deck and powerful in the air. Proved a useful stand-in striker as well.

Jorginho – 6

The Italian was bit-part player this season, making just nine Premier League starts, and the 33-year-old will be leaving when his contract ends this summer.

Bukayo Saka – 8.5

Losing the England winger to a serious hamstring injury for three months was a crippling blow to Arsenal's season. Saka still managed to contribute 12 goals and 14 assists.

Forwards

Gabriel Martinelli – 7.5

Brazilian forward chipped in with 10 goals and six assists across 51 appearances. Still only 23 and remains a key player for Arteta.

Leandro Trossard – 7.5

Like Martinelli, Belgium international Trossard's contributions proved invaluable as he scored 10 and supplied another 10, while his versatility in attack has been key.

Gabriel Jesus – 5

Arsenal's only out-and-out striker has endured a miserable campaign which saw his season ended in January by an ACL injury after contributing three goals in 17 Premier League appearances.

Raheem Sterling – 4

Sterling faces an uncertain future back at Chelsea after an unsuccessful loan spell where he managed just a single goal in 1,143 minutes of football.

Kai Havertz – 8

The German was enjoying a fine season until a hamstring injury kept him out of action from February until May. Scored 15 and assisted a further five across all competitions before that and was a huge loss at a key point in the season.