Arsenal will begin the defence of their Premier League crown on August 21, but a lot has happened since they lifted the trophy two months ago.The biggest World Cup campaign in history took place in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The tournament concluded with Mikel Merino, David Raya and Martin Zubimendi adding a World Cup winners medal to the one they collected in English football last term.More detrimental to Arsenal’s chances of retaining their title next season, though, is the fact that William Saliba returned from the World Cup with an injury — and the French centre back could miss a number of months after it emerged he will require surgery on his back.The problems may even run deeper. Declan Rice might not have returned from the World Cup injured, but the midfielder clocked up over 5,000 minutes for club and country last season. It was evident by the time England faced France in the third-place playoff that Rice needs rest before the start of his 2026/27 campaign.Arsenal will also be without Leandro Trossard, after the Belgian secured a move to Beşiktaş. The 31-year-old played over 2,000 minutes in the league last season so replacing him might be a tougher task than many supporters appreciate. Trossard was a valuable member of the Gunners’ squad and weighed in with key moments.Mikel Arteta’s team are 6/4 favourites to win the league again this coming season, and that reflects the strength in depth they have built over in recent times. Even if Rice and Saliba are unavailable for the first few months, Arsenal would believe they have the players to sustain another challenge.Their main challengers are expected to be Manchester City, who are 11/4 and considered as second favourites to win the Premier League title.