In the earliest weeks of a new season, Arsenal have offered a quiet but unmistakable declaration: that a team denied its most coveted signings can still carry the weight of expectation with grace. Three matches into their title defense, the Gunners sit atop the Premier League with nine points and a single goal conceded, having beaten Chelsea from behind on Sunday through the composed brilliance of Havertz and Odegaard. It is a reminder, as old as sport itself, that cohesion and belief can outrun expenditure.