Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has suggested that Arsenal’s “next two or three signings” have to be what Alisson and Virgil Van Dijk were to Liverpool.
The Gunners are in a similar position to the one Liverpool were in in the early years of Jurgen Klopp’s reign, and the pundit has suggested that Mikel Arteta’s men need to make equally impressive additions to their squad during what promises to be a busy summer. .
Arsenal are in a brilliant position in the Premier League at the moment, sitting fourth with three points ahead of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur and four ahead of Manchester United, with both having played one more game.
Finishing in the top four would be a huge boost for all three clubs, who will be looking to close the gap to the top three with effective signings during the summer window. Arsenal will be looking for a striker on the market in June, as Alexandre Lacazette’s contract with the London club expires at the end of the season.
Arsenal have been linked with the likes of Benfica’s Darwin Nunez in recent weeks, but several targets are being considered, report the Fast.
Speaking about the Arsenal situation and their future signings, Jamie Carragher told Gary Neville The Overlap Live Fan Discussion:
“Arsenal need to come fourth, and when you compare it to what Klopp did in Liverpool, Arsenal are at a stage where they don’t have a [Cristiano] Ronaldo. they don’t have a [Harry] Kane,
“The next two or three Arsenal signings have to be Alisson, they have to be [Virgil] Van Dijk, what they were for Liverpool. Where they take you from fighting for the top four, being in the top four, to making that leap where you’re competing with City, Liverpool, United, Chelsea.
“That’s the next thing from Arsenal. They need a really top centre-forward who can really take them to a higher level.”
Following the important sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in January 2018, Liverpool reinvested that money in the signings of Alisson Becker and Virgil Van Dijk. The Reds finished fourth the year before signing the Dutchman and have been to two Champions League finals, winning the 2019 version, and secured an elusive Premier League title in 2020 for the first time in 30 years.
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Like Carragher, many have pointed to the two signings as the ones who changed the course of Liverpool history forever and it is what Arsenal will try to do in the summer.
Arsenal players have shared the team’s goals this season in all competitions, with Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe leading the way with ten. The Gunners’ renowned centre-forward, Lacazette has just seven on the season and if you compare him to Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah, the Frenchman is a total of 21 goals behind the Liverpool man.
Arsenal are certainly hoping that the striker they sign in the summer can match Salah’s goalscoring level, and if that player can, the signing could push the Gunners just like Alisson and Van Dijk did for Liverpool.
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