You certainly can’t accuse Arsenal of being inactive in the window this summer, but whether the new signings and potential new recruits will be enough to power the Gunners to the title remains to be seen.
The naysayers will point to Liverpool’s already impressive summer, which has seen Arne Slot add two top class full-backs and smash the British transfer record to snare Florian Wirtz.
Building from a position of strength, the best are getting even better, even without the arrival of a new centre forward, an issue that looks likely to be addressed imminently.
Arsenal, however, can only look after themselves and while it might have been tempting to enter the race to sign Alexander Isak, plugging the gaping holes in their squad, exposed by last season’s injury crisis, represents a far smarter use of the considerable funds that have again been made available to Mikel Arteta.
Of the new additions, Martin Zubimendi’s is perhaps the most intriguing. Will the addition of a genuine deep-lying playmaker, one in the prime of his career, prompt a more expansive style of play?
If the Spaniard’s addition shifts Arsenal back towards a side somewhere between the buccaneering nearly-men of two years ago and the overcautious, safety first unit that lost their way last term then there is no reason to suggest they cannot last the distance.
The rest of the signings represent gambles, while even Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo, although level raisers, would come with no guarantees given it is not clear where the Crystal Palace playmaker would fit in, while there have been plenty of Real Madrid cast offs who have failed to shine in the Premier League.
That said, this is a top class Arsenal side whose consistency over the last three years is often overlooked as a consequence of their lack of silverware. The new signings may only need to contribute the extra 10% required to get the Gunners over the line given the quality that Arteta already has at his disposal.
If you’re looking for a positive omen, cast your minds back to the summer of 2001 when Arsenal brought in Richard Wright, Francis Jeffers, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Sol Campbell at significant cost, while Edu was effectively a new signing given he hardly played following his arrival in January.
Of that group, only Campbell could have been considered a genuine game changer, but that group all made valuable contributions across a campaign which saw Arsenal end a run of three second place finishes to complete a Premier League and FA Cup double under Arsene Wenger.
James Goldman | Metro Sports Editor.