Arsenal's Eight Transfers: Are They Enough to Surpass Liverpool?

As the wise say, experience is the best teacher. Arsenal is trying to be wiser by learning from last season's mistakes. They have refined their plans and execution for player recruitment, as well as bringing in a new person responsible for the transfer market. The results are immediately evident.

Arsenal are like shopaholics. They continued their spending spree until the end of the summer transfer window, bringing in eight players at once. Ecuadorian international defender Piero Hincapie was the last player to be officially announced, on the transfer deadline day, Tuesday (September 2, 2025) early morning WIB.

Liverpool may break the English Premier League transfer record with Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. However, Arsenal still tops the list of the largest net spending with £257 million (Rp 5.68 trillion). This amount is the highest in the history of "The Gunners."

Andrea Berta, the Director of Football at Arsenal, is praised as a hero by the fans. Berta's performance in player recruitment has been exceptionally optimal, especially when compared to his predecessor, Edu Gaspar. The comparison between the two is like the sky and the ocean floor.

In the summer of 2024, Edu only brought in four new players. Two of them are on loan, namely striker Raheem Sterling and goalkeeper Neto, who has rarely played due to below-standard quality for the club. This poor transfer activity has heavily burdened the club as it faces a storm of injuries.

Unlike this time. Berta not only brought in double the number of players. The eight new players are also of high quality, in their prime age, and have the potential to secure starting positions. Among them are Spanish national team midfielder Martin Zubimendi and English national team winger Eberechi Eze.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has a very deep squad. He can form two different teams that are balanced in quality, thus mitigating the threat of injuries. "Andrea is just as I expected. Professional and full of determination. I am happy to work with him," said Arteta, as quoted by the club's official website.

If assessed, Berta deserves a score of 9 out of 10. The only thing lacking from the former executive of Atletico Madrid is the sales aspect. Arsenal failed to sell players at the expected prices. This issue had already been ingrained in the club long before Berta's arrival.

The next and most important question is whether the aggressiveness in player acquisitions will result in a Premier League title for Arsenal. The main focus of "The Gunners" is to surpass Liverpool, the defending champions who are also very active in the transfer window.

The question marks are on Arteta. The manager has been given a full arsenal to end a run of three consecutive runner-up finishes. Not only has squad depth been improved, but the quality of the attacking line, which has been a weakness for Arteta's team, has also been improved.

Arsenal has brought in three offensive players simultaneously, including Viktor Gyokeres, who is a pure striker. During his nearly six years at Arsenal, Arteta has only now acquired a player of this type. Gyokeres is expected to enhance the club's goal tally, particularly from open play.

Since last season, I've never believed Arsenal's problem is finishing. Their problem is creating chances.

In the 2024-25 season, Arsenal only scored 50 goals from open play. This record is significantly lower compared to Liverpool (66 goals). Arsenal is overly reliant on set-piece executions, with 24.6 percent of the goals by Martin Odegaard and his teammates coming from such situations.

After the first three matches of the 2025-26 season, alongside new players, Arsenal's attack has not developed significantly. They have scored six goals, the third most productive in the league, but only two of those goals have come from open play. The rest have been from set pieces.

Opta data is enough to show just how poor Arsenal's attacking quality is. The Gunners' chance quality rating from open play is just 1.54 xG (expected goals). That's the second-lowest in the league, bettered only by newly promoted Sunderland (1.29 xG).

"Since last season, I've never believed Arsenal's problem was finishing. Their problem is creating chances. In Arsenal's two away games this season, there hasn't been any change. They still rely on set pieces," former England defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports.

The lack of creative opportunities is strongly felt by Gyokeres. The striker has only produced three shots after playing 240 minutes, one of which came from a penalty kick. In contrast, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has recorded 14 shots.

As a tactician, Arteta has become the target of criticism. He is considered to be too cautious, especially when facing major teams such as Liverpool last weekend. The manager has also yet to maximize the potential of the new players in the attacking line.

Theo Walcott, the former Arsenal striker and a former teammate of Arteta, stated that change takes time. Arteta is still adapting to his team, which now has more options in the attacking line. The manager does not want to hastily try many things in major matches and at the beginning of the season.

"The club has backed him with significant investment. He has a wealth of options everywhere. But he's gone back to his mantra of caution. Managers are too afraid of losing, that's the problem. Because when they lose, they're still seen as lacking courage," Walcott said on the It's Called Soccer! podcast.

Certainly, it is too soon to assess Arsenal's changes based solely on three matches. Regardless, the problems and solutions for "The Gunners" are actually quite clear in front of the manager's eyes. Will Arsenal be able to overcome Liverpool? That puzzle will be answered by Arteta's ability to continue the baton passed by Berta.