Arsenal have been on a different level to Liverpool this season, but there are still areas where Mikel Arteta can improve his squad.
That is what Darren Bent was discussing after Arsenal clinched the Premier League title, with attention already turning to what comes next for the champions. Arsenal have been searching for a long-term centre-forward for some time, with the verdict on Viktor Gyokeres not yet reached.
Bent suggested Liverpool have made that job much harder after their huge attacking spend last summer. In his view, the Reds already took the two best options off the market.
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Darren Bent says Liverpool have signed Arsenal’s best attacking options
Liverpool went big on their forward line last summer, bringing in Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. At the time, there were fair questions about whether both were needed.
But there was logic to the move. Liverpool knew Mohamed Salah was heading towards the end, and they wanted to secure elite attacking talent while it was on the market.
Arsenal were heavily linked with Isak before Liverpool got the deal done, eventually moving for fellow Swede Gyokeres instead.
Gyokeres’ season at Arsenal started slowly before he improved in the latter stages of the campaign, although many of his most convincing scoring displays came against weaker opposition. Bent still thinks Arsenal can improve at centre-forward, but he believes Liverpool have made that difficult.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “Liverpool came out really well and you have to give him credit. They took the best two. They got them both.
“So they took the best two. Then you got Osihmen. I like him, but for whatever reason, he’s reluctant to come here. And then you’re almost searching for the hopefuls then.”
That is a strong endorsement of Liverpool’s business. Isak’s season has obviously been ruined by injury, and Ekitike has had his own fitness issues too. That makes it hard to fully judge either signing yet.
But profile-wise, Bent’s point stands. Isak was the proven Premier League star with elite movement and finishing. Ekitike was the younger, high-upside forward with all the tools.
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This season belongs to Arsenal, and there is no getting around that.
But if Isak and Ekitike both reach their potential over the next few years, last summer may still be remembered as a major Liverpool win. At the very least, it has limited what their rivals can do next.
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