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Mikel Arteta has a knack for bringing the best out of his players, and one Arsenal man in particular could be heading for a standout season for goals and assists.

Before the opening day, very few pundits or supporters expected anything other than Arsenal keeping hold of the Premier League title this season.

Arteta has added strength to his squad across the pitch, while the managerial upheaval at their main rivals over the past eight months has left those teams still short of being ready to mount a challenge.

The Spaniard’s team were not the most eye-catching champions last season, with pressure beginning to shape their style as they pushed for a first league crown in 22 years, but they have begun this campaign with fresh belief.

Last season, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard all posted their lowest goal contribution numbers of the past three years, so simply keeping those attacking players fit should naturally lead to some improvement.

At the same time, there are also obvious signs that Arsenal are developing in stylistic terms, with new arrivals Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis bringing extra creativity.

The sample size this season remains fairly small, but Arsenal’s midfield appears to be moving the ball forward more quickly, while the side are also showing greater variety in the way they attack.

Arsenal’s only addition at centre-back this summer was Ezri Konsa, although full-back is another area from which they can raise their output in the final third.

Arteta prefers to sign full-backs who are comfortable operating in central zones, with Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie all having spent significant parts of their careers playing at centre-back.

That allows them not only to provide cover in the middle of defence, but also to make underlapping runs inside their wingers, drift into central areas when Arsenal have possession and add physical presence at set-pieces.

Calafiori is perhaps the most intriguing case, given he was one of Serie A’s top centre-backs during the 2023/24 season.

Working under Thiago Motta at Bologna, he showed he could drive forward with the ball and play line-breaking passes, while also cutting out opposition attacks and winning duels against powerful strikers.

After his move to the Emirates, he returned to the role he had mainly occupied during his early years at Roma.

At Villa Park on Bank Holiday Monday, Unai Emery had clearly put together a plan to reduce his influence, with John McGinn stationed on the right side directly against him.

The Scotland international was willing to follow him into more central spaces, while Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash also took responsibility for keeping tabs on the Italian whenever he drifted into their part of the pitch.

But just before the hour mark, substitute Eberechi Eze slipped a pass inside and Calafiori showed his athleticism by stretching around the ball and lifting it into the path of Saka, who forced it past Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.

Following a discussion with Arteta, Calafiori and Arsenal very nearly produced the same move again when Eze found him once more, only for the offside flag to go up just after the left-back had smartly pulled the ball beyond a recovering Alysson.

In the 97th minute, he was the furthest Arsenal player forward as his side pushed for a second goal.

The Italian has now been directly involved in a goal in each of his last three matches, including his early strike in the Community Shield against Manchester City.

“It was very different,” Arteta said after the match when reminded that his side had lost on their previous visit to the stadium.

“That shows our maturity, and it shows we have players who can change the momentum and understand what is needed in the game.”

Calafiori is one of those players, and it would be a major surprise if he did not produce the best goal-contribution tally of his career as Arsenal chase back-to-back titles.