Conor Coady claims Arsenal are ‘so far ahead' of Premier League rivals

Former England defender Conor Coady believes Arsenal are currently 'so far ahead' of their Premier League rivals after an impressive start to their title defence. Arsenal have collected maximum points from their opening three league matches, most recently coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Coady argued that the champions already look unusually polished for such an early stage of the campaign. 'Arsenal look the most ready I've seen them in a long time at this stage of a season,' Coady said. 'Usually, at this stage, teams are still getting up to speed and there are a few flaws here and there, but they look top.' Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has overseen victories against Coventry City, Aston Villa and Chelsea, with his team scoring six league goals and conceding only once. The Gunners also defeated Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield before their league campaign began, extending their perfect competitive start to four matches. Coady believes Arsenal's improvement extends beyond the significant investment made during the summer transfer window. 'It comes down to what Mikel Arteta has done over the summer, for me,' he added. 'I don't mean in terms of recruitment, but more so what he has done on the grass. It is all about his ability to make his players better.' Arsenal strengthened with several major additions, including Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa, Piero Hincapie and Christos Tzolis, as they prepared to defend the championship. However, Coady has been particularly impressed by how the existing group have developed following last season's breakthrough. 'Arsenal look so far ahead of everybody else at the minute it is unbelievable,' he said. 'I thought they were fluid last season, but I feel like they are more fluid this season.' That assessment received further support against Chelsea, when Arsenal recovered from conceding after only 77 seconds to win through goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard. Havertz, Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes were subsequently included in Alan Shearer's Premier League Team of the Week, with Arteta named as the manager. Coady believes that increased fluidity represents another dimension to a team previously recognised primarily for their physicality and defensive strength. Arsenal's foundations remain formidable after Arteta guided them to their first Premier League title in 22 years and was named the 2025/26 Manager of the Season. Their next challenge is sustaining this level over another demanding campaign, but the opening weeks suggest the champions have no intention of standing still. For Coady, the early evidence indicates Arsenal have not simply remained the team to beat – they may already have moved another step ahead.