'Nine teams capable of winning Premier League'
- Published
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says up to nine teams have the ability to win the Premier League this season.
The Gunners have finished second in the league for the past three seasons but have spent over £120m so far this transfer window on Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Noni Madueke - and are currently working to complete deals for Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres and defender Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia.
However, the Gunners' likely title rivals have been busy, with Liverpool spending more than £250m, Chelsea - who won the Club World Cup - forking out about £200m and Manchester City also spending over £100m after starting the rebuild of their squad in January.
The messaging from the Arsenal camp on their pre-season tour where they play AC Milan and Newcastle in the Singapore Festival of Football is that they are ready to take the next step and win their first trophy since 2020.
When asked, despite the challenges, if he thinks Arsenal can win the title this season, Arteta was quick to answer: "Yes I do. It is getting more and more competitive each year. The level is increasing.
"We know that so our demands have to increase as well. But we have also been very active in the market.
"We have to improve the players we already have, which is a massive objective after that. And then, set the right fundamentals and the right principles in pre-season to get the team ready with the best possible shape and availability to start the season."
In Zubimendi, Arsenal have signed one of the most highly rated midfielders in Europe and a player who had other options to choose from before signing for the Gunners.
It is hoped that Zubimendi's quality and football intelligence is the missing piece for an Arsenal side that have missed out on trophies in recent seasons.
"Every year we have to see how things develop, but I see the right balance in terms of maturity, experience, youth, hunger - all these ingredients are there," Arteta said.
"The thing is there are another six, seven, eight clubs in the league that have the right ingredients to win and there is only going to be one winner.
"So we have to focus a lot on the things that we can control, that we can do, to achieve what we want at the end of the season."