Both Arsenal and Liverpool have enjoyed an unprecedented summer of spending in this transfer window.
Andrea Berta has spent over £250 million on seven players, while Piero Hincapie is expected to become the eighth man through the door at the Emirates.
The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi have all arrived in N5 for fees exceeding £50 million, while several rotation players have also been added to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Meanwhile, the Gunners’ primary title rivals, Liverpool, are set to break the £400 million mark with two final acquisitions on deadline day.
Marc Guehi signing for Liverpool is more concerning for Arsenal than Alexander Isak
Liverpool have already signed the likes of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike for huge fees this summer.
However, they’re set to break the British transfer fee record by acquiring Alexander Isak for around £130 million.
Arsenal were interested in Isak earlier this summer, but the Gunners ultimately opted to allocate their resources more evenly across their squad and sign Gyokeres instead.
The Swede will undoubtedly be an excellent signing for Liverpool, adding more offensive firepower to an attack already stacked with quality.
However, the Merseysiders are also closing in on the signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace for £35 million, and this is arguably more of an issue for Arsenal.
Liverpool already possess an excellent attack, so Isak being added to Arne Slot’s squad doesn’t really fix any of their problems.
However, the Reds have looked vulnerable defensively, while their lack of depth at centre-back has been glaring.
With Guehi arriving, not only will they have a defender who can resolve some of their defensive issues, but they’ll now have a centre-back who can reliably rotate in and out of the side with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
Slot’s ensemble looks complete with Guehi joining, and that’s a problem for Arsenal.
Arsenal’s squad is also complete
Arsenal should be worried about Liverpool’s spending and what Slot’s team could now be capable of.
That said, Berta has assembled a spectacular cast of his own for Arteta, and the Gunners should be grateful for what they have.
Less than six months ago, the Spaniard was having to rely on Mikel Merino to play up front in a Champions League semi-final.
Now, Merino may struggle to make matchday squads when everyone is fit and firing for the Gunners.
Arteta has several options in every single position, and his squad should be in a position to compete on multiple fronts and match Liverpool stride for stride.
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