The arrival of Unai Emery signals the beginning of a new era at Arsenal following the departure of Arsene Wenger, and the new manager will certainly be aiming high as the season edges closer to getting underway.
After two years of exile from the Champions League, Emery’s main focus for the season will be on a top-four finish, but there is enough quality residing within Arsenal’s squad to suggest that a title challenge could well be on the cards.
With the likes of Torreria, Leno and Sokratis all added to the star-studded squad ahead of the new season, Emery will be feeling confident about his chances of going head-to-head with Manchester City, but recent reports from outside the club suggest their title-hopes have taken a huge blow.
According to a recent report from The Guardian, Liverpool are all set to sign Roma’s highly-regarded goalkeeper Alisson this summer in a world-record breaking deal worth £66.9 million, shattering the previous record of £35 million which Man City paid to secure the services of Ederson last summer.
The Breakdown:
Wow, that’s quite a figure for a goalkeeper who is arguably no better than Ederson. The Brazilian national team manager Tite seems to think that Liverpool’s imminent recruit is better, though, and if that proves to be the case then the title-race could take a very interesting shape next season.
The arrival of Alisson will certainly force Lorius Karius back into a back-up position at the club, which should hold Liverpool in good stead for a title-challenge.
Although they finished in 4th place last season, Liverpool look like the most likely side to challenge Man City now that Karius is being replaced by Alisson.
The presence of a solid goalkeeper between the sticks can often be the difference between a title-challenge and a top-four finish, as City demonstrated by replacing Bravo with Ederson last season.
Arsenal’s decision to sign Leno a few weeks ago temporarily put them in pole position to go head-to-head with City at the summit of the Premier League, but Liverpool’s decision to strengthen has made Emery’s task that little bit harder.
With Aubameyang at the spearhead of the attack, Mkhitaryan and Ozil working in tandem to create opportunities, Leno providing a solid platform for the defence to build and Torreira in line to finally solve Arsenal’s anchor problem, the Gunners look well set to enjoy plenty of success next season.
Time will tell if Arsenal’s form matches the potential they have on paper but, in light of Liverpool’s latest move in the transfer market, Emery may be forced to reconsider his expectations and goals for the season ahead.
Arsenal fans – thoughts? Let us know below!