Liverpool icon, Jamie Redknapp has made his prediction for the Premier League title following Arsenal’s unsuccessful attempt to secure their £130 million transfer target, Julian Alvarez, during the summer.
Arsenal were actively pursuing Argentine striker Alvarez until the summer transfer window closed on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta reportedly reached out to Alvarez multiple times in an effort to persuade him to join the Premier League champions, but the Atletico Madrid player was determined to move to Barcelona.
Barcelona also showed interest in the transfer, but Atletico declined to sell Alvarez, whom they value at €150 million (£130 million), to a direct rival in La Liga.
Alvarez remained in Madrid when the transfer window closed, and Arsenal missed out on another significant target after their unsuccessful attempt to sign Brazilian star Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid.
Nevertheless, the Gunners strengthened Arteta’s squad with several notable signings, including Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis, who all joined the north London club.
Redknapp believes Alvarez would have represented a clear ‘upgrade’ on Arteta’s current attacking options, but he does not anticipate that this transfer setback will hinder Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League.
Having secured their first league title since 2004 last season, Arsenal have made a strong start to their title defence, winning against Coventry City on the opening weekend and Aston Villa on Monday night.
This weekend, Arteta’s team will face an early challenge to their title credentials when Xabi Alonso brings his dynamic Chelsea side to the Emirates Stadium.
Asked whether Arsenal’s dream of signing Alvarez had died, Redknapp said on Sky Sports: “There’s still a lot to be positive about.
“[Christos] Tzolis looks a really good player on the left-hand side, [Bruno] Guimaraes is going to be a really good signing. We saw that [against Aston Villa], albeit for 20 minutes. Some of his passing was top class.
“They’ve got enough, and they will win the title again with the squad they’ve already got.
“It does leave you a little bit short on that left-hand side. Obviously, [Noni] Madueke could go out and play over there, but that doesn’t seem to be a natural fit for him.
“They will be a little bit short, I think, but they can be rest assured that they’ve already got a really strong squad.
“Defensively, they look stronger now. Obviously, with [William] Saliba being out, they’ve had to get defensive reinforcements in.”