# 2017–18 Arsenal F.C. season

The 2017–18 season was Arsenal's 26th season in the Premier League and 92nd consecutive season in the top flight of English football. The club participated in the Premier League, the FA Cup (as holders), the EFL Cup, the FA Community Shield and the UEFA Europa League.
This was the first season that Arsenal did not participate in the UEFA Champions League since 1997–98. It was the first time they had played in the UEFA Europa League since its rebranding, having last participated in the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup. A relatively poor season saw Arsenal fail to maintain a consistent challenge for Champions League qualification, with their away form being a major factor, only winning four away games in the league all season with 11 defeats, and they were, until the final game of the season, the only team in England's top 4 divisions to not get a point away from home in the 2018 calendar year. A total of 13 defeats were recorded throughout the league campaign, the highest since the 1994–95 season, which resulted in a 6th-place finish. Furthermore, a shock 4–2 defeat at Nottingham Forest meant that Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup third round for the first time since 1996.
Arsenal were runners-up in the League Cup, being defeated 3–0 in the final against Manchester City. Arsenal were close to winning their first European trophy since the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994, but a 2–1 defeat on aggregate against Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals resulted in another season in the Europa League.
The season was the 21st straight and final season under manager Arsène Wenger, who announced his departure from the club on 20 April 2018. This season covered the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.

## Background

The 2017–18 season marked Arsenal's 26th consecutive year in the Premier League and their 114th season in the English top division. The club extended their record of consecutive seasons in England's top division to 92, the longest continuous run in the division's history. The streak began with Arsenal's promotion in the 1919–20 season, prior to the Second World War. During the previous season Arsenal won the FA Cup, the club's 13th overall and seventh under veteran manager Arsène Wenger, who celebrated 22 years in charge of Arsenal this season. However, Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League outside of UEFA Champions League qualification, it was the first year since the 1996–97 season that Arsenal had not qualified for the Champions League. Instead, this season they played in the UEFA Europa League.
Arsenal's first Summer signing was full-back Sead Kolašinac, the Bosnia-Herzegovina international joined the club on a free transfer to compete with Arsenal's established left-back Nacho Monreal. Arsenal later spent a club record £46.5 million on the French striker Alexandre Lacazette, who joined from Ligue 1 side Lyon. The transfer fee surpassed the £42.4 million Arsenal paid for Mesut Özil in 2013. Also during the Summer, the club let go of long-term goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny, defender Kieran Gibbs, and England international Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who in the final year of his contract joined Liverpool for a club record sale of £35 million.
During the January transfer window, Arsenal signed Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who joined the club from PAS Giannina. Following a long fallout between the club and winger Alexis Sánchez, the Chilean international joined Manchester United in a swap deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan join Arsenal. Mkhitaryan left Manchester United only 18 months after José Mourinho bought the winger from Borussia Dortmund; on the club website the player said it was a "dream" to join Arsenal and he looked forward to making history. Arsenal once again surpassed their club record transfer fee when they signed Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund on deadline day for £56 million. The striker signed a long-term contract, and following his success in the Bundesliga, Aubameyang was projected to be an enormous attacking threat. Also in January, Arsenal let go of long-term forward Theo Walcott, defender Mathieu Debuchy, and high-profile striker Olivier Giroud, who joined London rivals Chelsea for £18 million.
Following an underwhelming year, Wenger's future at the club was uncertain heading into the season. Fans were divided in their opinions of the veteran manager, and discontent among players, notably Sánchez and Özil, became major talking points in the media before the season began.

## Pre-season

In April 2016, Arsenal announced plans to play two pre-season friendlies against Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia ahead of the 2017–18 season. It was the first time Arsenal played in Australia since 1977, when the team visited as part of the World of Soccer Cup. The "Gunners" won both matches matches comfortably and later travelled to China to play Bayern Munich and Chelsea in Shanghai and Beijing respectively. Following a penalty win over Bayern and a thorough defeat against Chelsea, Arsenal returned to London to host the Emirates Cup at the club's home stadium which featured Benfica, Sevilla and RB Leipzig. The "Gunners" picked up their third consecutive Emirates Cup after beating Benfica 5–2 and losing to Sevilla 2–1.

### Match details
#### Results

Arsenal F.C. 2017–18 pre-season results :
| Date | Competition | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 13 July 2017 | Friendly | Sydney FC (A) | 2–0 | Mertesacker, Lacazette | 80,432 |
| 15 July 2017 | Friendly | Western Sydney Wanderers (A) | 3–1 | Giroud, Ramsey, Elneny | 83,221 |
| 19 July 2017 | International Champions Cup | Bayern Munich (N) | 1–1 (3–2 p) | Iwobi | 39,208 |
| 22 July 2017 | Friendly | Chelsea (N) | 0–3 | | 55,618 |
| 29 July 2017 | Emirates Cup | Benfica (H) | 5–2 | Walcott (2), López (o.g.), Giroud, Iwobi | 54,538 |
| 30 July 2017 | Emirates Cup | Sevilla (H) | 1–2 | Lacazette | 57,968 |

## FA Community Shield

As winners of the FA Cup in the previous season, Arsenal contested the 2017 FA Community Shield against league champions Chelsea. Victor Moses gave Chelsea the lead after capitalising on a poor Arsenal clearance early in the second half. Arsenal later equalised after Kolašinac scored from a free-kick, it was the Bosnian's first appearance and goal for the club. A penalty shoot-out followed the stalemate, with misses from Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois and Álvaro Morata, Arsenal lifted the trophy.

### Match details
#### Key

* In the result column, Arsenal's score is shown first

#### Results

2017 FA Community Shield results :
| Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorer | Attendance | Venue |
| 6 August 2017 | Chelsea | 1–1 (4–1 p) | Kolašinac | 83,285 | Wembley Stadium |

## Premier League
### August–October

Arsenal began their league campaign at home against Leicester City. Ahead of the opener, Wenger emphasised the importance of starting the season strong, especially since the club had won just one of their previous five opening matches. Lacazette made history as the Premier League's fastest-scoring debutant, heading in Mohamed Elneny's cross after just 94 seconds. However, Leicester quickly equalised through Shinji Okazaki, and Jamie Vardy soon put them in front. Danny Welbeck levelled the score just before halftime, but Vardy restored Leicester's lead with a header from Riyad Mahrez's corner. Wenger's inspired substitutions then sparked Arsenal's comeback, with Aaron Ramsey firing in an angled drive and Giroud sealing the victory with a powerful header from Granit Xhaka's corner. However, Arsenal's momentum was short-lived. They were humiliated by Stoke City, losing 1–0 to a Jesé goal early in the second half. Their misery deepened before the international break with a 4–0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield. On BBC Radio 5 Live, Robbie Savage remarked, "Liverpool haven't beaten Arsenal, they have destroyed them. Thumped them. Torn them apart."
In early September, Arsenal secured a crucial 3–0 victory over Bournemouth, a must-win game following their challenging start to the season. A brace from Welbeck and a curled finish from Lacazette allowed Arsenal to secure a comfortable victory over their struggling opponents at the Emirates. On 17 September, the "Gunners" earned their first point at Stamford Bridge in six years with a 0–0 draw against Chelsea. Shortly after, Arsenal defeated West Bromwich Albion 2–0 at home, capping off September on a high.
After a solid 2–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on 1 October, Arsenal traveled to Vicarage Road, where Per Mertesacker's header initially put them ahead against Watford. However, a controversial penalty converted by Troy Deeney and a late winner from Tom Cleverley handed Arsenal a 2–1 defeat at Vicarage Road. The team then headed to Goodison Park to face a struggling Everton. Monreal, Özil, Lacazette, Ramsey, and Sánchez all scored in a 5–2 victory, with Everton's goals coming from Wayne Rooney and Oumar Niasse. Returning to the Emirates, Arsenal faced a tough challenge against Swansea City. Despite trailing 1–0 at halftime, they avoided embarrassment by mounting a determined comeback. Goals from Kolašinac and Ramsey ensured Arsenal finished October in fourth place.

### November–February

At the Etihad Stadium in early November, Arsenal took on league leaders Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring for the hosts after a clever exchange with Fernandinho, firing a low shot past Petr Čech into the far post. In the second half, Monreal fouled Raheem Sterling in the box, leading to a contentious penalty that Sergio Agüero converted to double City’s lead. Substitute Lacazette pulled one back for Arsenal, but Gabriel Jesus sealed the victory for Manchester City with a close-range finish. Stephan Shemilt of BBC Sport noted that Arsenal lacked "incision and creativity," with Sánchez often isolated as a lone forward without adequate support. Following the international break, Arsenal played Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium. The "Gunners" won 2–0 with goals from Mustafi and Sánchez in what was a "perfect performance" according to Alan Shearer when speaking on Match of the Day. Arsenal followed up this performance with a win against Burnley at Turf Moor, and a comprehensive 5–0 win over Huddersfield Town at the Emirates.
Arsenal suffered a 3–1 defeat to Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. Antonio Valencia capitalised on an early mistake to put the visitors ahead, and Jesse Lingard quickly doubled their lead. Lacazette managed to pull one back for Arsenal in the second half, but Lingard struck again to seal the victory for United. David de Gea delivered a world-class performance, making 14 saves to equal a Premier League record and denying Arsenal multiple chances to get back into the game. Following draws against Southampton and West Ham United, Arsenal slipped to seventh on the table, marking their first winless streak of three league matches since April. Newcastle United traveled to the Emirates on 16 December and were narrowly defeated 1–0. Özil's well-placed volley was the decisive goal, making the difference between the two sides. Arsenal hosted Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool in a thrilling 3–3 draw. Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring with a header from Mohamed Salah's chipped pass, and the Egyptian doubled Liverpool's lead early in the second half. Arsenal quickly responded with a Sánchez header and a powerful long-range strike from Xhaka to level the match. Özil then combined with Lacazette to give Arsenal the lead just two minutes after equalising. However, Roberto Firmino took advantage of Arsenal's disorganised defence to secure a point for the visitors. With a subsequent win away against Crystal Palace, and a draw with West Brom, Arsenal finished the year in fifth place behind Liverpool.
On 3 January 2018, Arsenal earned a dramatic 2–2 draw against Chelsea at the Emirates. Jack Wilshere opened the scoring in the 63rd minute, but Eden Hazard quickly equalised from the penalty spot after being fouled by Bellerín. Marcos Alonso then gave Chelsea the lead, only for Bellerín to redeem himself with a late equaliser, firing in from 16 yards. A week later, Arsenal's struggles deepened when they were defeated 2–1 by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, marking the first time Bournemouth had ever beaten Arsenal in any competition. This left Wenger’s side five points behind the top four, and with their poor form across all competitions, pressure was mounting. Arsenal responded with a resounding 4–1 victory over Crystal Palace, but any momentum was short-lived as they slumped to a 3–1 defeat away to relegation-threatened Swansea City. Optimism returned at the Emirates following the January transfer window, when new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut in a 5–1 win over Everton, with Ramsey netting a hat-trick. However, their resurgence hit another setback in mid-February, as Arsenal lost 1–0 to rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium, extending a difficult stretch in the Premier League.

### March–May

In early March, Arsenal suffered back-to-back defeats, first to Manchester City at the Emirates and then to Brighton & Hove Albion at Falmer Stadium. The loss to Brighton marked the first time Arsenal had been beaten by the Seagulls since 1982. These results meant Wenger's side had lost four consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time since October 2002. With their form plummeting, Wenger’s popularity hit a new low, and calls for his resignation from frustrated supporters grew louder. Watford travelled to the Emirates on 11 March and were comfortably defeated 3–0, with goals from Arsenal's Mustafi, Aubameyang, and Mkhitaryan.
Arsenal's next league encounter was on 1 April, at home to a struggling Stoke City side seemingly bound for relegation. It took Arsenal 75 minutes to break the deadlock, achieved via Pierre–Emerick Aubameyang's penalty, before his terrific volley made it 2–0 in Arsenal's favor with four minutes remaining. Aubameyang then had the chance to complete his hat–trick with another spot–kick awarded at the death, but Aubameyang permitted Alexandre Lacazette to take, and he duly did as Arsenal ultimately won 3–0. In their fifth successive home match in all competitions, Arsenal secured a dramatic 3–2 home win over Southampton. After Irishman Shane Long put the Saints ahead, goals from Aubameyang and Welbeck made it 2–1 to the hosts. However, Charlie Austin's equalizer tier up a grand finale, decided via Welbeck's second of the evening on 81 minutes. With the pressure mounting, Arsène Wenger's departure as Arsenal boss was announced, so ending a 22-year, trophy–laden association with the club. He would take charge for the remainder of the season prior to the announcement of the new boss. Against West Ham next time, Monreal had his 52nd-minute strike cancelled out by Marko Arnautović, before Ramsey restores Arsenal's lead late on. A brace later from Lacazette saw Arsenal ultimately secure a 4–1 win and duly keep alive their top four hopes. Things worsened next time out, as, despite Henrikh Mkhitaryan scoring on his return to Old Trafford, goals in either half from Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini saw Manchester United earn a 2–1 victory over the struggling Gunners.

### Match details
#### Key

Results
Arsenal F.C. Premier League results 2017–18 :
| Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 11 August 2017 | Leicester City (H) | 4–3 | Lacazette, Welbeck, Ramsey, Giroud | 59,387 |
| 19 August 2017 | Stoke City (A) | 0–1 | | 29,459 |
| 27 August 2017 | Liverpool (A) | 0–4 | | 53,206 |
| 9 September 2017 | Bournemouth (H) | 3–0 | Welbeck (2), Lacazette | 59,262 |
| 17 September 2017 | Chelsea (A) | 0–0 | | 41,478 |
| 25 September 2017 | West Bromwich Albion (H) | 2–0 | Lacazette (2) | 59,134 |
| 1 October 2017 | Brighton & Hove Albion (H) | 2–0 | Monreal, Iwobi | 59,378 |
| 14 October 2017 | Watford (A) | 1–2 | Mertesacker | 20,384 |
| 22 October 2017 | Everton (A) | 5–2 | Monreal, Özil, Lacazette, Ramsey, Sánchez | 39,189 |
| 28 October 2017 | Swansea City (H) | 2–1 | Kolašinac, Ramsey | 59,493 |
| 5 November 2017 | Manchester City (A) | 1–3 | Lacazette | 54,286 |
| 18 November 2017 | Tottenham Hotspur (H) | 2–0 | Mustafi, Sánchez | 59,530 |
| 26 November 2017 | Burnley (A) | 1–0 | Sánchez (pen.) | 21,722 |
| 29 November 2017 | Huddersfield Town (H) | 5–0 | Lacazette, Giroud (2), Sánchez, Özil | 59,285 |
| 2 December 2017 | Manchester United (H) | 1–3 | Lacazette | 59,547 |
| 10 December 2017 | Southampton (A) | 1–1 | Giroud | 31,643 |
| 13 December 2017 | West Ham United (A) | 0–0 | | 56,921 |
| 16 December 2017 | Newcastle United (H) | 1–0 | Özil | 59,379 |
| 22 December 2017 | Liverpool (H) | 3–3 | Sánchez, Xhaka, Özil | 59,409 |
| 28 December 2017 | Crystal Palace (A) | 3–2 | Mustafi, Sánchez (2) | 25,762 |
| 31 December 2017 | West Bromwich Albion (A) | 1–1 | McClean (o.g.) | 26,223 |
| 3 January 2018 | Chelsea (H) | 2–2 | Wilshere, Bellerín | 59,379 |
| 14 January 2018 | Bournemouth (A) | 1–2 | Bellerín | 10,836 |
| 20 January 2018 | Crystal Palace (H) | 4–1 | Monreal, Iwobi, Koscielny, Lacazette | 59,386 |
| 30 January 2018 | Swansea City (A) | 1–3 | Monreal | 20,819 |
| 3 February 2018 | Everton (H) | 5–1 | Ramsey (3), Koscielny, Aubameyang | 59,306 |
| 10 February 2018 | Tottenham Hotspur (A) | 0–1 | | 83,222 |
| 1 March 2018 | Manchester City (H) | 0–3 | | 58,420 |
| 4 March 2018 | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | 1–2 | Aubameyang | 30,620 |
| 11 March 2018 | Watford (H) | 3–0 | Mustafi, Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan | 59,131 |
| 1 April 2018 | Stoke City (H) | 3–0 | Aubameyang (2, 1 pen.), Lacazette (pen.) | 59,371 |
| 8 April 2018 | Southampton (H) | 3–2 | Aubameyang, Welbeck (2) | 59,374 |
| 15 April 2018 | Newcastle United (A) | 1–2 | Lacazette | 52,210 |
| 22 April 2018 | West Ham United (H) | 4–1 | Monreal, Ramsey, Lacazette (2) | 59,422 |
| 29 April 2018 | Manchester United (A) | 1–2 | Mkhitaryan | 75,035 |
| 6 May 2018 | Burnley (H) | 5–0 | Aubameyang (2), Lacazette, Kolašinac, Iwobi | 59,540 |
| 9 May 2018 | Leicester City (A) | 1–3 | Aubameyang | 32,095 |
| 13 May 2018 | Huddersfield Town (A) | 1–0 | Aubameyang | 24,122 |

### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 4 | Liverpool | 38 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 84 | 38 | +46 | 75 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 5 | Chelsea | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 62 | 38 | +24 | 70 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage |
| 6 | Arsenal | 38 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 74 | 51 | +23 | 63 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage |
| 7 | Burnley | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 36 | 39 | −3 | 54 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 8 | Everton | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 49 | |
* 1 2 Since the winners of the 2017–18 FA Cup (Chelsea) and the winners of the 2017–18 EFL Cup (Manchester City) both qualified for European competition based on their league positions, the berths awarded to the 5th-placed team (Europa League group stage) and the League Cup winners (Europa League second qualifying round) were passed down the league.

## FA Cup

In the FA Cup, Arsenal entered the competition in the third round and were drawn away to Nottingham Forest. Arsenal were knocked out in the third round for the first time since 1996 and therefore the first time under Arsène Wenger.

### Match details
#### Key

* In the result column, Arsenal's score is shown first
* A = Away match
Results
Arsenal F.C. FA Cup results 2017–18 :
| Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 7 January 2018 | Third | Nottingham Forest (A) | 2–4 | Mertesacker, Welbeck | 27,182 |

## EFL Cup

Arsenal entered the competition in the third round and were drawn at home to Doncaster Rovers. The Gunners were drawn at home for the fourth round with Norwich City the confirmed visitors. Arsenal were drawn against West Ham United at home for the quarter-finals. Arsenal drew Chelsea in the semi-finals, with the first leg taking place at Stamford Bridge.

### Match details

Key
Results
Arsenal F.C. EFL Cup results 2017–18 :
| Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 20 September 2017 | Third | Doncaster Rovers (H) | 1–0 | Walcott | 44,064 |
| 24 October 2017 | Fourth | Norwich City (H) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Nketiah (2) | 58,444 |
| 19 December 2017 | Quarter-final | West Ham United (H) | 1–0 | Welbeck | 44,741 |
| 10 January 2018 | Semi-final (first leg) | Chelsea (A) | 0–0 | | 40,097 |
| 24 January 2018 | Semi-final (second leg) | Chelsea (H) | 2–1 | Rüdiger (o.g.), Xhaka | 58,964 |
| 25 February 2018 | Final | Manchester City (N) | 0–3 | | 85,671 |

## UEFA Europa League
### Group stage

On 25 August 2017, the group stages were announced with Arsenal drawn out in Group H alongside BATE Borisov, 1.FC Köln and Red Star Belgrade.

#### Match details
##### Key

Results
Arsenal F.C. UEFA Europa League group stage results 2017–18 :
| Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 14 September 2017 | 1. FC Köln (H) | 3–1 | Kolašinac, Sánchez, Bellerín | 59,359 |
| 28 September 2017 | BATE Borisov (A) | 4–2 | Walcott (2), Holding, Giroud (pen.) | 13,100 |
| 19 October 2017 | Red Star Belgrade (A) | 1–0 | Giroud | 50,327 |
| 2 November 2017 | Red Star Belgrade (H) | 0–0 | | 58,285 |
| 13 November 2017 | 1. FC Köln (A) | 0–1 | | 45,300 |
| 7 December 2017 | BATE Borisov (H) | 6–0 | Debuchy, Walcott, Wilshere, Palyakow (o.g.), Giroud (pen.), Elneny | 25,909 |

#### Group stage table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARS | ZVE | KLN | BATE |
| 1 | Arsenal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 0–0 | 3–1 | 6–0 |
| 2 | Red Star Belgrade | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| 3 | 1. FC Köln | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 | | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 5–2 |
| 4 | BATE Borisov | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 16 | −10 | 5 | | 2–4 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — |

### Knockout phase
#### Match details
##### Key

Results
Arsenal F.C. UEFA Europa League knockout phase results 2017–18 :
| Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 15 February 2018 | Round of 32 (first leg) | Östersund (A) | 3–0 | Monreal, Papagiannopoulos (o.g.), Özil | 7,665 |
| 22 February 2018 | Round of 32 (second leg) | Östersund (H) | 1–2 | Kolašinac | 58,405 |
| 8 March 2018 | Round of 16 (first leg) | Milan (A) | 2–0 | Mkhitaryan, Ramsey | 72,821 |
| 15 March 2018 | Round of 16 (second leg) | Milan (H) | 3–1 | Welbeck (2, 1 pen.), Xhaka | 58,973 |
| 5 April 2018 | Quarter-final (first leg) | CSKA Moscow (H) | 4–1 | Ramsey (2), Lacazette (2, 1 pen.) | 58,285 |
| 12 April 2018 | Quarter-final (second leg) | CSKA Moscow (A) | 2–2 | Welbeck, Ramsey | 29,284 |
| 26 April 2018 | Semi-final (first leg) | Atlético Madrid (H) | 1–1 | Lacazette | 59,066 |
| 3 May 2018 | Semi-final (second leg) | Atlético Madrid (A) | 0–1 | | 64,196 |

## Aftermath

The Player of the Season was awarded to Aaron Ramsey.

## Squad statistics

Key
Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Players with number struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.
| No. | Pos. | Name | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Cup | Europa League | Europa League | Community Shield | Community Shield | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| No. | Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| 2 | DF | Mathieu Debuchy † | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Per Mertesacker | 4 (2) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 (2) | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Laurent Koscielny | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Henrikh Mkhitaryan | 9 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 (3) | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Alexis Sánchez † | 17 (2) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 (3) | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Aaron Ramsey | 21 (3) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 28 (4) | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Alexandre Lacazette | 26 (6) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 33 (6) | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Jack Wilshere | 12 (8) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 (9) | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | Mesut Özil | 24 (2) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 (2) | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | Olivier Giroud † | 1 (15) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 (1) | 0 | 10 (16) | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | David Ospina | 4 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 12 (1) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 (1) | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | Theo Walcott † | 0 (6) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 (1) | 0 | 9 (7) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain † | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Rob Holding | 9 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 (4) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Alex Iwobi | 22 (4) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 (2) | 0 | 3 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 (9) | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | Nacho Monreal | 26 (2) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 (2) | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | Shkodran Mustafi | 25 (2) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 (2) | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Calum Chambers | 10 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 (5) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | Danny Welbeck | 12 (16) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 (1) | 1 | 9 (1) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 25 (18) | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | Héctor Bellerín | 34 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 46 (1) | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | Konstantinos Mavropanos | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | MF | Granit Xhaka | 37 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 46 (2) | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | Ainsley Maitland-Niles | 8 (7) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 (8) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | Sead Kolašinac | 25 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 2 (3) | 2 | 0 (1) | 1 | 29 (9) | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | Chuba Akpom † | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | GK | Petr Čech | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | Francis Coquelin † | 1 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (6) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | Mohamed Elneny | 11 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 (1) | 0 | 9 (3) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 (6) | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 43 | MF | Josh Dasilva | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 54 | GK | Matt Macey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 58 | MF | Marcus McGuane † | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 61 | FW | Reiss Nelson | 2 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 3 (5) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 8 (8) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 62 | FW | Eddie Nketiah | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 2 | 0 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (10) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 65 | MF | Ben Sheaf † | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 69 | MF | Joe Willock | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 3 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| — | — | Own goals | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — |
Sources:

## Transfers

For consistency, transfer fees in the tables below are all exclusively sourced from BBC Sport's contemporary report of each transfer. Where the report mentions an initial fee potentially rising to a higher figure depending on contractual clauses being satisfied in the future, only the initial fee is listed in the tables. Arsenal did not sign any players on loan during the season and players who have not made an appearance for the first-team are not included in the tables below. Squad numbers are only listed for players who featured during the season.
Key
Transfers in :
| No. | Pos. | Player | Previous club | Fee | Date |
| 31 | DF | Sead Kolašinac | Schalke 04 | Free transfer | 1 July 2017 |
| 9 | FW | Alexandre Lacazette | Lyon | £46.5m | 5 July 2017 |
| 27 | DF | Konstantinos Mavropanos | PAS Giannina | Undisclosed | 4 January 2018 |
| 7 | MF | Henrikh Mkhitaryan | Manchester United | Swap deal | 21 January 2018 |
| 14 | FW | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Borussia Dortmund | £56m | 31 January 2018 |
Transfers out :
| No. | Pos. | Player | Following club | Fee | Date |
| — | MF | Chris Willock | Benfica | Released | 30 June 2017 |
| — | DF | Stefan O'Connor | Newcastle United | Released | 30 June 2017 |
| — | FW | Yaya Sanogo | Toulouse | Released | 30 June 2017 |
| — | MF | Glen Kamara | Dundee | Released | 30 June 2017 |
| — | GK | Wojciech Szczęsny | Juventus | £10m | 19 July 2017 |
| — | DF | Gabriel Paulista | Valencia | Undisclosed | 18 August 2017 |
| — | MF | Ismaël Bennacer | Empoli | Undisclosed | 21 August 2017 |
| — | DF | Kieran Gibbs | West Bromwich Albion | £5m | 29 August 2017 |
| 15 | MF | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Liverpool | £35m | 31 August 2017 |
| 34 | DF | Francis Coquelin | Valencia | £12m | 11 January 2018 |
| 14 | FW | Theo Walcott | Everton | £20m | 17 January 2018 |
| 7 | MF | Alexis Sánchez | Manchester United | Swap deal | 21 January 2018 |
| 58 | MF | Marcus McGuane | Barcelona | Undisclosed | 30 January 2018 |
| 2 | DF | Mathieu Debuchy | Saint-Étienne | Released | 31 January 2018 |
| 12 | FW | Olivier Giroud | Chelsea | £18m | 31 January 2018 |
Loans out :
| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Date | Loan expired |
| — | GK | Emiliano Martínez | Getafe | 2 August 2017 | 30 June 2018 |
| — | DF | Carl Jenkinson | Birmingham City | 21 August 2017 | 30 June 2018 |
| — | FW | Lucas Pérez | Deportivo La Coruña | 31 August 2017 | 30 June 2018 |
| — | FW | Joel Campbell | Real Betis | 31 August 2017 | 30 June 2018 |
| 65 | MF | Ben Sheaf | Stevenage | 26 January 2018 | 30 June 2018 |
| — | DF | Krystian Bielik | Walsall | 31 January 2018 | 30 June 2018 |
| — | MF | Jeff Reine-Adélaïde | Angers | 31 January 2018 | 30 June 2018 |
| 32 | FW | Chuba Akpom | Sint-Truidense | 31 January 2018 | 30 June 2018 |