Three weeks from today marks the start of the new Premier League season and for the second year in a row, Arsenal are first up as they face Crystal Palace away from home in the Friday night curtain-raiser.
Having got off to the worst possible start last season by losing their opening three games without scoring a goal, whilst the Gunners did manage to recover to be involved in the top-four race, those dropped points right at the beginning ultimately proved costly and they can't afford a repeat of that situation.
To Mikel Arteta and Edu's credit, wrapping up deals for Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Gabriel Jesus before the middle of July means Arsenal should be better prepared for the start of the 2022/23 campaign than they were 12 months ago and there's still time to bolster the squad before facing the Eagles.
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With the battle for Champions League qualification likely to be hotly contested once again next season, the Gunners will have been keeping a close eye on what their rivals for a top-four spot have done so far in the transfer market and will continue doing so all the way up until deadline day.
With Manchester City and Liverpool expected to contest the title race next season, two spots will be up for grabs and many are of the opinion that Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will be in the mix, especially as all four clubs have either conducted some good transfer business or are likely to do so shortly.
As a result, we have taken a look at what the Gunners' rivals for a top-four spot have so far in the summer transfer window and exactly what it means for Arteta and his side's chances of returning to Europe's top table for the 2023/24 season.
Chelsea
Who have they bought?
Just Raheem Sterling so far, but the Blues are expected to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli and appear to be on the market for more recruits amid links to Cristiano Ronaldo, Jules Kounde, Presnel Kimpembe, and another winger after missing out on Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele.
In Sterling, the Blues have signed one of the Premier League's finest attackers who could be the solution to their goalscoring woes and Koulibaly - when announced - will certainly help fill a void in central defence created by the departure of Antonio Rudiger after he joined Real Madrid.
What does it mean for Arsenal?
Arsenal finished five points behind their London rivals last season, but actually won more Premier League games than Thomas Tuchel's side, so it would appear the gap between the two isn't that large. As things stand, the Blues are slightly weakened after losing Romelu Lukaku, Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
However, history suggests that Chelsea will replace the trio and get stronger. But the decision to not pursue a deal for Ronaldo could be crucial as it stops the west London outfit from being heavy favourites to claim a Champions League qualification spot and keeps the four-horse race very much alive.
Tottenham
Who have they bought?
Spurs have been just as busy as Arsenal so far this summer, if not more so. The headline signing has to be Yves Bissouma, but they've also splashed £60m on Richarlison whilst also bringing in Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster on free transfers and Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona.
And their business isn't expected to stop there with Djed Spence - who impressed against the Gunners in the FA Cup whilst on loan at Nottingham Forest last season - set to join, thus further bolstering Antonio Conte's options in defence.
What does it mean for Arsenal?
The fact that Spurs have, for the most part, managed to land their top targets in Bissouma and Richarlison can't be good news for Arsenal as it shows the Lilywhites have improved in midfield and reinforced their attack in the hope of not being overly reliant on Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Perisic is a good addition and is familiar with Conte's system, Lenglet should slot in fine as a left-sided centre-back and Spence will be an upgrade on Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal at right-wing back. But whilst Tottenham have signed well, there's no reason to think they are about to pull away from Arsenal.
Manchester United
Who have they bought?
Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen have joined Manchester United so far as the Erik ten Hag era gets underway. But like Chelsea, they are expected to get more deals done before deadline day with Lisandro Martinez - previously on Arsenal's radar - and Frenkie de Jong very much top priorities.
What does it mean for Arsenal?
Issues in defence and midfield were ultimately Man United's downfall last season, so should they sign Martinez and De Jong there should be immediate improvements that will make them genuine top-four contenders once again next season, although perhaps not enough to be favourites ahead of Arsenal.
Of course, in Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes, the Red Devils are strong in attack but they would be weakened by the potential sale of Ronaldo, who has reportedly made a decision to leave Old Trafford sooner rather than later.
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