The Chasing Pack

Liverpool are having a special window. But what about everybody else?

So I’m going to wait until Monday to drop my piece on Milos Kerkez. He’s been officially announced as Liverpool’s newest capture, but I’d like to watch more footage before providing an overview of his game.

Marc Guéhi and Jarell Quansah have already assumed the spotlight this week — I wrote about them here — so I feel like I’ve been left with a bit of a free rein regarding what to cover today.

So rather than writing about the Reds, I’ve decided to share some thoughts on the rest of the Premier League in this post. Liverpool are flying in the transfer market, but what about everybody else? How are the chasing pack doing?

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Let’s start with Arsenal, who remain very funny under Mikel Arteta. The man appears to have a sickness. He’s coached the best defence in England, but his attack has become relatively predictable over time.

Arsenal are terrified of the transition. So much so that in order to stop their opponents from using them, they’ve sacrificed their own attacking repertoire as a means of keeping the game quiet at both ends.

The Gunners need stardust in the final third. Players who can break the game into two. Not necessarily a number nine per se, but at least one player who possesses meaningful output.

And yet, Arteta is signing Martín Zubimendi, Christian Nørgaard and Cristhian Mosquera according to reports. Two deep-lying midfielders and a centre-back. Like, come on, this is just comedy gold.

But all jokes aside, Jorginho and Thomas Partey do need to be replaced this summer. Zubimendi is good and Nørgaard is actually who I wanted Liverpool to explore when Jürgen Klopp needed a readymade number six in 2023. He ended up getting Wataru Endō instead. No complaints.

And to be fair, some game-breaking talents could become available later in the window, with Arsenal perhaps having to wait before finding out whether the likes of Rodrygo and Bradley Barcola are truly attainable.

I doubt the Gunners will get worse on the defensive end next term. It’ll all come down to adding a spark at the business end of the pitch. On the left side or through the middle. The pressure is on.

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Manchester City are more interesting right now. It’s difficult to forecast what lies ahead for them. Lots of early business is usually an indicator of a well-run organisation.