Manchester City boss, Enzo Maresca, has said that the club now has the squad depth needed to challenge Arsenal.
He stated this following Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Coventry City on Saturday, courtesy of a first-half header from Erling Haaland at the Etihad Stadium.
City concluded the summer transfer window strongly, signing Ayyoub Bouaddi for £86 million in addition to spending £65 million on Iliman Ndiaye and £125 million on Enzo Fernandez on deadline day.
Last season’s Premier League runners-up also invested £116 million in Elliot Anderson earlier in the summer, bringing their total spending to £458 million and setting a new Premier League record for a summer transfer window.
City finished seven points behind Arsenal last season, but following the victory over Coventry, Maresca is confident that his squad has sufficient depth to challenge their Premier League title rivals.
He told the press after City’s third win of the season: “If you look since the Community Shield, we played the Community Shield and then Arsenal played two additional matches [against Coventry and Aston Villa] and they made five changes in each game.
“They have two World Cup winners, [Mikel] Merino and [Martin] Zubimendi, two England players, [Eberechi] Eze and [Noni] Madueke, and another player I cannot recall, I believe it was [Piero] Hincapie.
“Ultimately, if you aspire to be competitive, you need options. Arsenal have options. We have options.
“Other teams also have options, but it is not limited to us. I am very pleased with the options we have as this is crucial for us if we aim to compete.”
City currently lead the Premier League with victories over Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Coventry City, but Arsenal could join them on nine points if they defeat Chelsea on Sunday.
Chelsea could also join City on nine points if they beat Arsenal.