Arsene Wenger is preparing for his toughest season at Arsenal.

Every new season is always, somehow, the toughest season yet for Wenger, yet this year that could actually be the case.

Arsenal have gone from comfortable in the top four to just narrowly missing out last year. They now have to scrap with the biggest spenders in the league to get that place back.

When asked if the huge outlays from clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United would make this a difficult season, Wenger said, as reported by The Guardian: “Yes, because look at what City have done. They have been quite spectacular in the transfer market, Manchester United as well.

“And it’s not finished – Chelsea have bought [Álvaro] Morata and have not lost [Diego] Costa yet, and they will certainly buy more. In the middle of the transfer market it’s difficult to predict. At the moment the most active have been United, City and Liverpool a bit.”

Manchester City have spent £217m this summer to acquire Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Danilo and Bernardo Silva. United, meanwhile, have splashed £145m on Victor Lindelof, Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku. Chelsea have added Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata, while even Liverpool have made an impressive addition in the form of Mohamed Salah.

Wenger would be the first person to tell you that transfers aren’t the be-all-end-all when it comes to determining performance. However, the strength of the competition is certainly worth acknowledging. The Premier League has plenty of cash and aren’t afraid to throw it at any of the problems they have.

Arsenal’s own £52m spend so far looks comparatively modest. While we have brought in two very good players, there is still work to be done.