At a Glance:
- Arsenal are on the brink of winning the Premier League title.
- Despite this, Mikel Arteta may still not be sure what his best front three is.
- Data has revealed that it’s actually clear what the Gunners’ most effective front-line is.
Despite being on the precipice of a Premier League and Champions League double, Mikel Arteta may still not know Arsenal’s best front three, although some revealing data has emerged that should give him a clearer idea.
The Gunners beat West Ham United 1-0 on Sunday afternoon, courtesy of a late Leandro Trossard winner. This result moves Arteta’s side to the brink of glory, with two wins from their remaining two matches guaranteeing their status as English champions.
The North Londoners are also set to meet Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on May 30th, giving Arteta’s men a chance of winning a trophy that has evaded this storied Premier League club for its entire history.
With three crunch matches left to play, the Spanish boss should lean into the attack that has got his side into this unprecedented position.
Arsenal’s best front three made obvious by the data
There’s been significant discourse about the configuration of Arsenal’s front three this season. Many have lamented the stodgy trio of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli, with damning data revealing that this particular set of attackers deployed together generally doesn’t work for the Gunners.
Others have argued that Arsenal’s best attacking trio consists of Eberechi Eze off the left and Kai Havertz down the middle. However, injuries to Martin Odegaard have forced Eze to be used predominantly down the middle, and Havertz consistently struggling with his fitness means neither player has had much of a go at these two positions.
While there may be heated debate around this topic, the data is clear. Arsenal’s best front three this season has been Bukayo Saka on the right, Gyokeres down the middle and Leandro Trossard off the left.
According to Sam Blitz of Sky Sports (and updated after the West Ham clash), this trio has started 13 Premier League matches together this season, and the Gunners have won 12 of them, drawn once and lost none. This equates to a 92% win rate and 2.8 points per game.
In the 23 matches with various other front lines, Arsenal have just a 52% win rate, with 12 wins. This is pretty striking, and certainly indicates to Arteta that he has found the right balance with this particular trio.
Arsenal unchanged from the win over Atletico Madrid – Mikel Arteta resists from rotating away from the winning team.
— Sam Blitz (@SamBIitz) May 10, 2026
It's very clear this is Arsenal's first-choice front three. A fantastic Premier League record when Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard start. #afc pic.twitter.com/u5UXJRVabV
What works in this front three for Arsenal?
The reason Gyokeres has struggled with both Madueke and Martinelli on either side of him is simple. The Swede isn’t heavily involved in the build-up and generally struggles in possession.
These two wide forwards’ primary attributes are running in behind or beating players for pace when they have space to operate in. They aren’t technicians who can get on the ball at volume and contribute to general possession play.
Saka and Trossard, on the other hand, thrive in this aspect of the game. Both players are on the ball constantly, and thus, this makes up for Gyokeres’ deficiencies. The striker makes the runs in behind and threatens the opposition backline, while the two wide men conduct Arsenal’s build-up and help feed the number nine.
Clearly, Arteta should start with this front three as much as he possible can in the remainder of the season.
