Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that Liverpool now possess the “strongest” squad in the Premier League following their record-breaking summer spending spree, which included the signing of striker Alexander Isak.
Liverpool secured Isak from Newcastle United for a British record £125 million ($169 million), adding the Swedish international to a squad that has already been reinforced with Germany’s Florian Wirtz, signed for £100 million from Bayer Leverkusen.
In total, the Reds splashed out more than £400 million during the transfer window, though their net spend was kept in check by over £200 million in player sales.
The defending champions, who equalled Manchester United’s record of 20 league titles last season, have started the new campaign in blistering form.
Under new manager Arne Slot, they have won all three of their opening matches, including a 1-0 victory over Arsenal before the international break, and currently sit top of the table as the only side with a 100 percent record.
Arteta, whose team finished 10 points behind Liverpool last season after three successive second-place finishes, acknowledged the scale of the challenge.
“They are the strongest for sure,” he said on Friday. “They have recruited the two most decisive players in Europe in the market, Isak and Wirtz, and they did really well to do that. They were very, very strong, and we need to look at ourselves and what we have to do to be better than them.”
The Spaniard stressed that Arsenal’s title hopes will depend on consistency in a fiercely competitive league. “It is not about Liverpool, but the league in general and how difficult it will be with the level it is now to be so consistent and win the number of matches you need to earn the right to win the title. That is going to be a really long run for all of us.”
Arsenal, without a league crown since 2004, continue their campaign on Saturday at home to Nottingham Forest. The Gunners will be without England winger Bukayo Saka, sidelined with a hamstring injury, though France defender William Saliba is available after recovering from a knock sustained against Liverpool.
The match will see Arteta face Ange Postecoglou, the former Tottenham manager, who takes charge of Forest for the first time. Arteta welcomed his counterpart back to the Premier League with high praise.
“With Ange, his biggest strength is the way he’s been. He has a very clear way of playing, and his teams are extremely good to watch. I have learned a lot from him, and it will be a very difficult game. As a person, as a character, what he transmits to football is a joy to watch. So, I am very welcome to having him back.”
Source: AFP
Written By Rodney Mbua
