Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that Liverpool are the favourites for the Premier League title after signing Alexander Isak.
The Gunners have finished as top-flight runners-up for the last three seasons in a row, missing out on the trophy to Arne Slot’s side in 2024-25.
Some football pundits, including Gary Neville, believe Arsenal will be crowned champions of England for the first time since 2004 this season.
But after Liverpool signed Newcastle United striker Isak in a £125m British record deal on deadline day, Arteta feels Liverpool are the ‘strongest’ team in the title race.
Arteta was quizzed in a press conference on Friday how Liverpool’s deal for Isak had ‘changed’ the title race in the 2025-26 campaign.
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‘Well, they are the strongest for sure,’ Arteta told reporters ahead of his side’s clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
‘They have recruited probably the most, the two most decisive players that there were in Europe in the market. And they’ve done really well to recruit that.
‘They are very strong. But we need to look at ourselves and what we need to do in terms of our abilities to be better than them. That’s it.’
Despite a slow start, Manchester City could also be in the mix for this season’s Premier League title and Pep Guardiola has refuted Slot’s claim that Isak is the best striker in the world.
‘Erling [Haaland] is a bit above,’ Guardiola said ahead of his team’s game against Manchester United on Sunday.
‘Isak must be a top player because of what Liverpool paid for him, obviously.’
Guardiola went on to say that lots of people will have different opinions on who is the best.
‘Someone else will say [Kylian] Mbappe, someone [Lionel] Messi, someone Cristiano [Ronaldo],’ he added.
‘That’s fine, it’s a game of opinions… I would not change Erling for anyone.’
Liverpool beat Arsenal 1-0 in their last Premier League match and are the only top-flight side to have won all three of the opening matches.
‘I think Arne explained the game really well after the game when he said, if we play 10 times, only eight times will be a draw,’ Arteta added.
‘One will be for Arsenal, the other one was for Liverpool. And a magic moment decided that game. So, we want more. We want to want more of those games.
‘And reviewing what we’ve done and as well the circumstances that we’ve had, not only in the way that we play but in other areas, there is still room to improve for sure. And that’s very good because the team is already at a really high level.’