Arsenal Look The Real Deal

Arteta happy with big spending to boost the squad depth that derailed earlier campaigns

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LONDON - After watching three consecutive English Premier League titles slip through their fingers, Arsenal have opened their wallet wide in the close season, completing early moves to ensure squad depth does not derail their championship dreams again.

Having finished second behind Manchester City in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, the Gunners failed to build on that momentum in the transfer market last summer when reinforcing the attack.

Fans were left scratching their heads after deadline day when Raheem Sterling, a winger in decline, was brought in on loan, with Chelsea only too happy to oblige in offloading a player who was not in their plans.

The painful pattern of finishing second was repeated last season when they fell behind Liverpool after losing key forwards Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz to long-term injuries, as their league title drought was stretched to 21 years.

But new sporting director Andrea Berta, who replaced Edu Gaspar, has overseen a dramatic shift in approach as the club spent nearly £200 million (S$346.4 million) before August.