Mikel Arteta believes Liverpool have assembled the strongest squad in the Premier League after the acquisition of Alexander Isak. Liverpool broke their transfer record twice this summer, signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal which could rise to £116m, before spending £125m on Isak on deadline day.
The champions spent more than £400m, though their net outlay was slightly less than that of Arsenal, who recruited eight players. Liverpool have won their first three games and signed off for the international break with a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Anfield.
Arteta, asked how the arrival of Isak at Liverpool could shape the title race, said: “They are the strongest for sure. They have recruited the two most decisive players that were 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 in terms of our abilities to be better than them.”
Arsenal finished 10 points behind Liverpool last season. Pressed as to how hard it could be to stop Liverpool, the Arsenal manager said: “It is not about Liverpool but the league in general and how difficult it will be with the level that it is to be so consistent and win the amount 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 host Nottingham Forest on Saturday lunchtime and will again be without Bukayo Saka, who sustained a hamstring injury in the 5-0 win over Leeds last month. Arteta allayed fears that the key defender William Saliba could be absent for a prolonged period, saying the France international – who went off in the fifth minute at Liverpool – had trained on Friday and was in contention to face Forest.
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