Arsenal moved to odds-on last week in the race to land the Premier League title - it looks like it’s finally Gunner come good for Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard marked his 300th game in charge of the north Londoners with victory over West Ham in what appears to be a decisive matchday in this season’s title race.
Liverpool’s mini-wobble and continuing doubts about the fallibility of Manchester City have left Arteta’s side leading the pack.
And a price of 10/11 might not appear to be a cast-iron guarantee that they can claw themselves over the finishing line.
But Arsenal are showing all the hallmarks of a team that is primed for success.
Forgive the pun - or don’t, you choose - but the Gunners now boast one of the biggest arsenals ever seen.
One thing Arteta can’t moan about - and he’s had a good go on most issues (the matchballs being a particular stand-out earlier this year) - is the choice of forwards at his disposal.
Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, Eberechi Eze and Ethan Nwaneri is a formidable list of names.
*(In fact, there are only four letters of the alphabet not used in that lot, too.)
If Arteta fancies deploying an aerial threat, he can call upon Mikel Merino to pull some muscle up front - as the Spaniard did so well at Newcastle.
And I haven’t mentioned where skipper Martin Odegaard fits into the equation…
Notwithstanding that - as we’ve all been weaned on the biggest cliche in football - that forwards win matches, defenders win titles - and that metric breeds confidence that this could be their year.
Ten outings so far this season - and just three goals scored against.
For those old enough to remember him, ex-BBC pundit Alan Hansen would be purring with delight. He did like a shut-out, did Alan.
Yes, it’s all gelling neatly into place for Arteta and, off the back of that, there are a couple of decent-value punts out there.
Behind that defence, keeper David Raya has been made 4/6 to win the Premier League’s golden glove.
He shared the trophy last year with Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels. Looks like that will be a one-off, judging by what’s going on at the City Ground…
And if you fancy Arsenal succeeding in any one of the four competitions they are still involved in, that price is 4/9.
Arsenal - To Win a Major Trophy odds
(Odds will display when the market is available).
However, there are a couple more that definitely catch the eye.
Arsenal already have the scalp of the Hammers in the bag and there are three more top-flight fixtures during October.
A trip to Craven Cottage is first-up. It’s not a gimme by any means, despite the indifferent form so far of Marco Silva’s men.
But if they can come away with three points from that, back-to-back home league fixtures against Crystal Palace and Brighton lie in wait.
Arteta is currently priced at 4/1 for the Manager of the Month award - and that price looks big - particularly as Liverpool’s Arne Slot is unlikely to be in contention following Saturday evening’s defeat at Stamford Bridge.
From here, that looks value.
As do Declan Rice’s odds to be the PFA Player of the Year.
For a start, the award is almost always handed over to a player from the title-winners.
And Rice now looks happy and settled at the heart of Arteta’s engine-room. His performance levels have certainly risen since joining the club two seasons ago.
Currently, he’s listed at 12/1 to land the end-of-season gong.
Long way to go, obviously, and plenty can happen but, from here, that looks a little generous.
Finally, what about the fight on all fronts?
The ‘Invincibles’ market has now disappeared in the Premier League - although my Sky Blues supporting wife told me with great glee this morning how Frank Lampard’s Coventry City are the last undefeated side in the country.
But if you fancy that glut of goalgetters being able to fire Arsenal to glory on four fronts, then the price has been slashed in half from last week to 500/1.
With the season still in its infancy that’s an improbability.
But elsewhere it’s all coming up smelling of roses as far as the Gunners are concerned.
* The four letters not used in that list are: f, p, q and x. You don’t need to post a comment - I know it’s sad…
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.
