Arsenal have already exposed Liverpool and Man City's £400m failures despite title pressure

There is little doubt that this is the season that Arsenal must win the Premier League title. Three second-place finishes in a row, and around £300million worth of players brought through the doors this summer.

There is no question that the Gunners have a huge sense of pressure on their shoulders during every game. But they must overcome this at their fourth attempt and finally end the long wait for the top-flight crown.

There are no excuses left, no reasons to be explained. For Mikel Arteta, there is but one outcome that will not be a disappointment - one position in twenty that can only have the tag of success.

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All that being said… let us pause for just a moment and look to the northwest, where both Liverpool and Manchester City in the year 2025 have spent around £100million more than the Gunners. Let’s repeat that once more for those in the back: Despite this overwhelming sense of pressure and expectation on Arsenal, the two clubs that are responsible for winning the last eight consecutive Premier League titles both added around £400million worth of talent to their squads already containing league champions.

Therefore, it needs to be stressed that for either Liverpool or Manchester City not to win the title, it should rightfully go down as one of the worst failures in either of the club’s modern history. Some might argue their recent silverware compared to Arsenal’s lack of it since the FA Cup in 2020 earns them credit in the bank so to speak.

However, should the Gunners go on to win the league, while it will be a joyous occasion for the club and one that will go down in its history as one of the all-time greatest achievements in the context of the difficulty of the Premier League at this time, expectation will only grow. They will be tipped to win it the season after, perhaps to win multiple trophies (if they haven’t done that this season, of course, already).

Arsenal’s excellent form at the beginning of the season, which has seen them open considerable gaps over Liverpool and Manchester City after just nine games, has arguably masked in some ways the pair’s own issues. Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland have amassed more points so far yet the majority of the discussion appears to be on how Arteta’s side have all the pressure, why?

Again, £400million has been injected into both sides this year, and after nine games, neither is in the top four. Perhaps it is time to start discussing who is really under pressure this season, but Arsenal appear to be handling it pretty darn well.