Jamie Carragher says Arsenal need to sign players that will have an impact similar to that of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
After a poor start to the season in which they lost their opening three matches, the Gunners are now pushing to finish in the top four and secure qualification.
The north London club invested heavily in their squad last season, bringing in signings such as , and .
In order to close the gap on City and Liverpool, Carragher believes the Gunners should follow the blueprint set by Jurgen Klopp’s side.
After recruiting Van Dijk and Alisson, the Reds went on to win the Champions League in 2019, and then the Premier League title a year later.
And Liverpool legend Carragher feels Arsenal require transformative signings themselves.
‘Arsenal need to get fourth,’ Carragher said at a fan debate.
‘When you liken it to what [Jurgen] Klopp did at Liverpool… Arsenal are at a stage where they haven’t got a [Cristiano] Ronaldo, they haven’t got a [Harry] Kane.
‘The next two or three signings for Arsenal have to be Alisson, have to be [Virgil] van Dijk, what they were for Liverpool.
‘To take you from sort of fighting for the top four to making that jump where you’re competing with City, Liverpool, right at this moment, . That’s Arsenal’s next thing.’
Gary Neville, however, is of the opinion that finishing fourth could be ‘as good as it gets’ for Arsenal.
‘I think Mikel Arteta is a good operator. My concern is if Arsenal finish fourth this season – which to be fair, I think is 50/50, I still think there’s a long way to in that race – but if they finish fourth, that’s in some ways as good as it gets,’ the Manchester United legend added at the Sky Bet fan debate.
‘You’ve got Pep [Guardiola], [Jurgen] Klopp, Man United, Chelsea, where can Arsenal go? They’re not going to compete.
‘Mikel Arteta is a brilliant coach, I love that we’re seeing a team that he’s getting the maximum out of, I can see exactly how he wants to play, we all can.’
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