'One signing could give Arsenal the title'

Alan Shearer joins Gary Lineker and Joe Hart for Match of nan Day this Saturday astatine 22:20 BST connected BBC One and nan BBC Sport website for highlights of six Premier League games.

It does not look agelong since we were watching nan last of Euro 2024 successful Berlin but nan Premier League is backmost this weekend, and I cannot hold for it to get started again.

Manchester City are still nan squad to hit but location is simply a batch of transportation business near to beryllium done, and it could make each nan quality astatine nan apical of nan table.

There are truthful galore ifs astir what could hap earlier nan transportation model shuts connected 30 August but 1 of them could determine nan title title because if Arsenal motion a apical striker past I would backmost them to spell connected and triumph nan league.

When Mikel Arteta's broadside went truthful adjacent past season, they had nan champion defence successful nan apical flight, conceding only 29 goals successful 38 games, but they person conscionable gone retired and signed different value defender, Riccardo Calafiori.

It is nan benignant of point City do, erstwhile they person sewage 2 awesome centre-halves past spell and bring successful a 3rd aliases fourth, and it intends nan Gunners will beryllium beardown if thing does hap to Gabriel aliases William Saliba.

They are looking to bring successful different midfielder too, and are successful talks astir signing Spain's Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad, but it is up beforehand which I consciousness is nan 1 position they tin amended and possibly get that important other separator that intends they decorativeness first, not second.

Arteta said his squad needed to beryllium 'almost perfect' successful their run-in to hit City to nan title past time, and they almost were. They had 1 convention conclusion from nan commencement of 2024, against Aston Villa successful April, and that proved to beryllium a slayer rustle for them.

Clearly they are not acold distant from being a title-winning squad and they decidedly person nan value already, but if location is 1 point they are missing to go champions, it is simply a goalscorer.

For City to person won 4 titles successful a statement is already singular and they are intelligibly going to return immoderate stopping arsenic they effort to make it five.

In nan past they person ever been capable to header whenever cardinal players time off but it will beryllium absorbing to spot if they consciousness they request to switch Julian Alvarez aft his £81.5m move to Atletico Madrid.

While I americium judge Alvarez did want to commencement much games, particularly nan large ones, he still played a immense portion successful what they achieved past season.

Alvarez started their first 25 Premier League matches of nan season, successful a tally that lasted until precocious February, and astatine that shape he had created nan astir chances and made nan joint-most assists of immoderate City player. Only Erling Haaland had scored much convention goals for them by then, too.

I cognize they sewage a batch of money for Alvarez but his versatility meant he did a assortment of jobs for Guardiola, who loves to rotate his players but did not usage anyone other arsenic overmuch arsenic him successful nan convention successful nan first 7 months of past season.

City person already brought successful Savinho, though, truthful they whitethorn consciousness their business is done and, let's look it, location are nary evident weaknesses successful their squad.

Haaland missed respective weeks of past play done wounded and still scored 27 goals to triumph nan Golden Boot. If he stays fit, past he will person a awesome chance of beating that full this time.

Liverpool vanished 3rd past clip and I don't spot them dropping retired of nan Champions League places now Arne Slot is successful charge.

Jurgen Klopp is an incredibly reliable enactment to travel but they still person stacks of value successful their squad, and plentifulness of options successful guardant positions. They person not signed anyone yet this summertime but I'd beryllium amazed if that is still nan lawsuit travel nan extremity of this month.

We will person to hold and spot really Slot gets them playing, and astatine what tempo, and besides what happens to immoderate of their established stars.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are each now into nan past twelvemonth of their contracts and, while Trent is only 25, Van Dijk is 33 and Salah is 32.

I conjecture we will find retired soon if their early is astatine Anfield, aliases not.

I consciousness for illustration past season's apical 3 will beryllium nan aforesaid this time, though not needfully successful nan aforesaid order. After that, location are going to beryllium 4 aliases 5 teams challenging for 4th place.

I americium beautiful assured Newcastle will beryllium 1 of them, though nan dream is still for them to triumph a trophy. It's nan aforesaid arsenic each year, really, successful that I'd emotion to spot them spell heavy successful a home cup… and yet triumph one.

Can they do both? Well, you would ne'er opportunity having nary European shot is simply a bully point but nan 1 affirmative to Eddie Howe's broadside not being progressive this clip is that their workload is simply a batch little than erstwhile they were successful nan Champions League.

What costs Newcastle past play was their horrific wounded database and they cannot spend for nan aforesaid point to hap again if they are going to do well, truthful less demands, successful position of playing erstwhile not doubly a week, should thief them.

Not having Nick Pope successful extremity was a monolithic miss erstwhile he was retired for truthful galore months truthful having him backmost fit, and hopefully staying fit, is different logic I americium hopeful they will beryllium successful and astir nan apical extremity of nan table.

With Sandro Tonali backmost from suspension they are beautiful beardown successful midfield and going guardant too, and Haaland and Cole Palmer were nan only players to people much Premier League goals than Alexander Isak past season.

It is astatine nan backmost wherever they request to fortify and nan aforesaid measurement a caller striker could make nan quality for Arsenal, a apical centre-half would beryllium a existent connection signing for Newcastle.

If they did get a woody for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi complete nan line, past that could mean they decorativeness successful nan apical 4 alternatively than conscionable beneath it, but keeping clasp of their champion players is evidently important too.

It has been a unusual summertime for Newcastle, pinch talk that Howe mightiness return nan England job, and earlier location was immoderate speculation that 1 of their prima players mightiness beryllium leaving too.

Isak and Bruno Guimaraes look to beryllium staying put now and I'd beryllium amazed if they aliases Anthony Gordon near astatine this stage, particularly aft nan nine sold 2 young players, Elliott Anderson and Yankuba Minteh, to meet nan Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.

I would beryllium surprised, and disappointed, if Gordon was sold and hopefully thing will hap connected that front.

As Newcastle recovered retired past season, it is going to beryllium reliable for Aston Villa to replicate past season's top-four decorativeness now they person Champions League shot to contend with.

Villa were successful nan Europa Conference League past play truthful were utilized to playing Thursday-Sunday but this is simply a overmuch bigger ask. They person signed a fewer players to springiness their squad much extent but a batch of them are untried successful nan Premier League.

It mightiness activity retired because Unai Emery is an fantabulous coach, and I americium judge they will situation again, but it is difficult to spot them maintaining their consistency.

Tottenham only missed 4th spot by 2 points past season, and Dominic Solanke could beryllium a very clever signing for them. They needed strengthening up front, and he decidedly does that. I americium expecting him to do well.

Manchester United request a overmuch bigger betterment if they are going to get closer, aft finishing eighth past time.

Erik 10 Hag's broadside played good successful nan Community Shield past week, conscionable for illustration they did erstwhile they hit Manchester City successful nan FA Cup last successful May, but now they request to nutrient those performances connected a regular basis.

If they are going to find nan consistency they person been lacking past they request to show that benignant of subject and desire, arsenic good arsenic nan value we cognize they have. I americium expecting them to beryllium better, but I americium not convinced by them yet.

As for Chelsea, good who knows what is happening there. They are a bonkers shot nine astatine nan infinitesimal successful position of their recruitment, and nan magnitude of nan deals they are handing out.

Their squad is already gigantic and it looks for illustration location are much signings to travel – location is talk of a different subordinate joining each time astatine nan moment.

It feels for illustration a really crazy strategy, and I don't understand what they are trying to do. Maybe they will beryllium maine wrong, but I don’t spot it getting them into nan apical four.

Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.