According to The Athletic, Manchester City and Liverpool's transfer activity this summer has been far less significant compared to Arsenal, and they remain concerned about their squads before the transfer window closes, which could lead to further decline in competitiveness.

The report states that with only one week remaining until the transfer window closes, Manchester City likely still needs to rush to complete their remaining summer recruitment before the deadline.

Liverpool is equally sluggish. So far, they have only recruited two permanent players, Jérémie Frimpong and Lutshyn Munoz. They still lack a replacement for Salah, their defensive midfield remains unstrengthened, and no new wing-back has been recruited, despite clear deficiencies in both positions.

Under new managers Maresca and Andoni Iraola, some adaptation difficulties were expected, but their opening league matches have revealed significant squad composition issues, with the latter even acknowledging his squad is "very thin."

Both teams recruited players for key positions too late, meaning both managers must integrate new signings during the ongoing season. New players must learn quickly rather than spending weeks absorbing complex tactical ideas. Even if not negligent, it is at least inefficient.

Since the summer transfer window was established in the 2002-03 season, 20% of spending by the Premier League "big six" has occurred in the final week of the window. If Manchester City and Liverpool do complete major recruitment—and Liverpool is still pursuing Aurélien Tchouaméni from PSG and has made two offers for Yankuba Minteh from Brighton—then this summer would represent a rare period of "late spending" in both clubs' histories.

These clubs typically complete transfer business earlier, often finalizing deals in early July. The process runs smoothly with minimal pressure, allowing new players several weeks to get fit before their debuts.

Last summer, Liverpool signed Frimpong, Kerkez, and Wirtz in June, then Ekitike in July. Of course, the exception was the prolonged Isak transfer saga, which extended to the deadline.

The contrast is even starker for Manchester City. Look at 2017, when Guardiola completely overhauled the entire squad. City Football Group's analysis team identified an aging squad structure that had won multiple competitions over consecutive years, then acted swiftly: Ederson was recruited from Benfica on July 1, Bernardo from Monaco on July 1, Kyle Walker from Tottenham on July 17, Danilo from Real Madrid on July 23, and Mendy from Monaco on July 24. Five core players for the new team were all in place three weeks beforehand.

In 2018, Mahrez joined on July 7. In 2019, Rodri arrived on July 4, and Cancelo on August 7. In 2021, Haaland was already on board by July 1. Last summer, Aït-Nouri, Reijnders, and Cherki all signed contracts in early June and flew to the US for the Club World Cup.

Previously, Manchester City had only completed two major recruits after the season began in the summer transfer window: once in September 2020, when they signed Rúben Dias just two days after their 5-2 loss to Leicester City at the start of the COVID-delayed 2020-21 season; and again last September, when they signed Donnarumma, who unexpectedly became available after Manchester City renewed contracts at Old Trafford.

Times have indeed changed. Manchester City signed Elliot Anderson for £116 million during the World Cup, but since then they have struggled to maintain that early pace. In fact, they only just completed a deal for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouanani, a pursuit that has dragged on throughout the summer.

Chelsea even artificially set a deadline for Manchester City, demanding £120 million for Enzo Fernández. Bids for Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace and Alex Scott from Bournemouth were rejected, so Roma midfielder Manu Koné has become their target. Palmeiras winger Alan is also close to joining as the club seeks replacements for Savinho and Marmoush, who will join Tottenham.

Does this mean Vilaría has changed strategy, choosing to complete deals at a later stage? One anonymous sporting director candidly acknowledged that the outside world does not fully understand the significant differences between having money, being able to spend it, and meeting the increasingly strict regulatory requirements today. Even top clubs now need to sell before they buy.

Arsenal is the exception; since becoming title contenders in the 2022-23 season, they have not sacrificed any key regular players. However, if Gabriel Martinelli eventually departs for a high fee, they would essentially only be buying Christos Tzolis first, then selling the player he was supposed to replace.

Manchester City may have done reasonably well by recouping nearly £400 million in sales, but the problem is if you have to wait until player sales are completed before investing in new recruitment, the entire world will know you have substantial funds ready to spend. This typically results in a "premium price for top clubs," as Newcastle United experienced around this time last year when they had the budget for Isak.

This Manchester City documentary provides very deep insight into this summer's situation. Since the start of last season, Arsenal is the only team among the Premier League's big six that has not replaced their manager.

"All the players we recruited are very young, so we are at the beginning of a cycle," said Soriano. "Arsenal recruits more mature players, with an average age of 27. Arsenal pursues instant results. We chose to buy young players. This is our choice and our risk."

Arsenal is taking no risks. They believe their rivals are in a period of transition and need time to rebuild. This is the moment they have long planned for.

At the end of 2019, when Arsenal began their five-year plan with Arteta amid Manchester City and Liverpool's dominance, they tried to anticipate when this situation would naturally end. The club saw 2023-2027 as Arsenal's window to reach their peak.

They may have reached this stage one or two years earlier than expected, but now they are contenders, and this is the time to capitalize further on that success. The immediate desire to win is evident from their recruitment of Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimarães and Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, both proven in the Premier League.

Succession planning, project players, and declining average age have become "dogma" in modern football strategy. But for top clubs, the pressure to remain at the summit is ever-present. This requires them to recruit players who can adapt immediately. Arsenal, which was among the league's youngest teams a few years ago, has now become one of the older teams, but they have stability, which is invaluable.

They may also face the same issue Manchester City faced last year: keeping the same core squad too long. Decline may come next year, or the year after. But if recruiting proven winners in their prime can deliver sustained major trophies, then it is clearly more valuable than betting on potential and losing current advantage. This seems to have been forgotten at some point.

So, while other teams remain hesitant and scramble for last-minute reinforcements, Arsenal continues to strengthen an already solid foundation.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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