Following a remarkable debut season under Arne Slot, Liverpool stormed to their second league crown, finishing comfortably ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City. ..Continue Reading
The Gunners trailed by ten points, while City ended a further three behind after a campaign that fell short of expectations for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Liverpool have wasted no time strengthening their squad, even after losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid. The Reds have already secured Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Milos Kerkez to reinforce their ranks.
City have also been active in the market, adding Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Tijjani Reijnders to refresh their squad ahead of the new season.
In contrast, Arsenal have yet to make a major splash in the transfer window. They are still weighing up moves for Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko to address their need for a top striker.
Deals for Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Christian Norgaard are reportedly close, but none have been finalized.
Ferdinand remains unconvinced by Arsenal’s current transfer activity and doubts their ability to mount a sustained title challenge in the upcoming campaign.
‘It’s only going to be between Liverpool and Man City next season,’ Ferdinand said in his latest video on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
‘Arsenal might kick up a fuss for a couple of months – six months maybe – [but nothing more].
‘Arsenal’s signings right now look likely to be Norgaard, who is 31 years old, Kepa, who was a reserve keeper at Chelsea, and Martin Zubimendi, but the entire fan base is crying out for a centre forward or a left winger.’
By contrast, Ferdinand was full of praise for how swiftly Liverpool moved in early weeks of the transfer market, in particular how they saw off interest from other European giants to land Wirtz.
‘I think what’s not being talked about enough is Liverpool’s ability to go and get a player that City were after, Bayern Munich were after and reportedly Real Madrid were also after. And Liverpool have come out on top in that,’ Ferdinand added.
‘I can see it so clearly at the club right now, I can see their whole process and their vision – it’s so clear – and as a player, that’s what you want when you walk into the club and they’re pitching the project to you.
‘I can imagine Wirtz coming out of that meeting with Slot and saying ‘don’t take any calls from any of those other clubs, I’m going here’.’
