Who Cursed Arsenal? It's a new season, same old story, but despite landing in a similar predicament, it appears fortune smiles on Arsenal, because the timing of now gives them the chance to make amends, unlike in previous years.

Ever stopped to ponder Arsenal’s plight — where every well-laid plan is undone by unforeseen mishaps, where momentum offers only fleeting joy, and every promising run ends in cruel disappointment?

The new Premier League season is barely a week old, yet their campaign already feels as though it has been dragged into the shadows of misfortune, as injuries headline their midweek activities.

For a club that has spent the past five years carefully rebuilding under Mikel Arteta, this was meant to be the make-or-break season, the year when the Emirates demanded not only effort, but answers.

And still, the old ghosts linger. Injuries continue to haunt the Gunners as though some unseen curse refuses to let them rise.

Who Cursed Arsenal?

It began even before the curtain was raised at Old Trafford as one of their major summer signing, Martin Zubimendi, who was brought as Thomas Partey's replacement, spent the final days before the clash with Manchester United battling a severe sickness bug.

The Spaniard, who rushed back into the starting XI, looked drained, although he still showed class as he lasted the entire game, while ensuring Arsenal came away with a clean sheet.

Christian Nørgaard, who could have taken his place, was nowhere in sight, sidelined by an untimely injury of his own that ruled him out of the traveling squad. A double blow, before a ball had even been kicked.

In Manchester, Arsenal managed to grind out a 1-0 victory, a result that saw Mikel Arteta equal the number of league wins the club has had in Old Trafford in the Premier League era before his appointment in 2019, three.

But the triumph came at a price. Ben White was forced off due to a minor injury and has since missed training sessions. The club is hopeful it is nothing major, but in a side that has already been punished by injuries in past seasons, even the smallest knock feels like an omen.

Nørgaard, meanwhile, remains absent, leaving the midfield stretched and thinner than Arteta would have liked at this delicate stage.

If that wasn’t enough, Kai Havertz has now been ruled out with what appears to be a serious knee injury. Early fears suggest it could be an ACL tear, the kind of injury that not only robs a team of a player’s present, but also casts doubt over their future.

For Havertz, who had just returned from a lengthy spell on the sideline, it is a cruel twist. For Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, it is another cornerstone of their team that has been ripped away.

This sudden piling up of absences mirrors the collapse of last season. Arsenal, riding close to Liverpool in the race for the title, lost its stride when injuries came calling at decisive moments.

Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus were all ruled out for lengthy periods, leaving the club with fewer options, including having to play midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker. These misfortunes allowed Liverpool an easy ride to the title.

Now, just one match into this campaign, history threatens to repeat itself. The question no Arsenal fan wants to utter — are they cursed? — bubbles again. How else can one explain the ruthless regularity of these blows?

Supporters have every right to feel uneasy. This was billed as Arsenal’s season to seize on the stability of their project and deliver silverware. Arteta has drilled his side into one of Europe’s most organized units, with a spine built to compete with anyone.

Yet, fate often laughs at their planning. What use is a blueprint if the building blocks keep breaking at Arsenal?

But amidst the gloom, Arsenal must remember: curses are broken not by excuses, but by resilience. With almost two weeks before the end of the transfer window, they must show ambition and add more attackers to complement Viktor Gyokeres.

The Theatre of Dreams gave Arsenal three points, but it also reminded them of their nightmares. Not only were they not at their best, but they also almost did not have any holding midfielder available, and have potentially lost an important player for a significant part of the season.

Who Cursed Arsenal?

During an interview with Sky Sports News in October 2023, former striker Emmanuel Adebayor expressed his concerns over whether the club has been cursed due to all their good efforts ultimately turning futile.

“Last season we were all rooting for them [Arsenal] to win the league and they came very close, said the 2008 CAF Player of the Year Award winner.

“When it reached around January and February, I was telling all my friends, I hope these boys will not start dropping points. This is how it was with me when I was playing for Arsenal.

“We’d be first or second, and then around February, a player would get injured or suspended, and that’s it. The league is gone. We had a great team, but a young team; we needed a leader.

“So when I saw them starting to drop points, even when Man City were several points behind, I said listen to me, I don’t know whether there is a curse on the club but it’s going to be difficult for them to win the league.”

Arsenal have lived through difficult years and, even though it is always recurring, they must find a way to end the curse. This time, fate has given them a shot at redemption, with the transfer window still open.

How Do Arsenal Manage Early Season Crisis?

If there is any consolation to Arsenal’s crisis, it is the fact that it comes early this season, if another didn't resurface later, and there is still time to make amends before the transfer window closes in less than two weeks.

Following the revelation of Kai Havertz’s injury, the club has returned to the market and sealed an agreement with Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace, who is set to return in a £68 million deal, 14 years after being released from their Hale End Academy.

They will also hope both Christian Nørgaard and Ben White return to full fitness sooner rather than later, not only because of the present moment but to keep them involved and sharp ahead of the tougher stages of the season.

It is expected to be a one-of-a-kind season, and Arsenal cannot afford further slips. Points dropped must not be down to avoidable situations, because this season represents a year when success must be achieved, and to do that, all hands must be on deck.

Who cursed Arsenal?

Perhaps no one. But until the Gunners learn to escape this cycle of cruel timing, the whispers of unseen hands pulling them back will only grow louder.

And if they falter again this season, the question may not be about a curse, but whether this project can truly conquer the obstacles that fate keeps placing in its path.