Pep Guardiola expects Arsenal to improve this season following the club’s transfer business, as Manchester City prepare to face the Gunners this weekend.
Manchester City face Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday, in the season’s traditional curtain-raiser.
Arsenal pushed City close for the Premier League title last season and have since spent more than £200m on new additions this summer, including the £105m club-record arrival of Declan Rice from West Ham.
City had also expressed interest in Rice and Guardiola admits the north Londoners have secured the signing of ‘a really good player’.
“Declan Rice decided to go to Arsenal, I wish him all the best. He is a really nice guy, for the England team he is important. Arsenal have bought a really good player,” he told his pre-match press conference.
Arsenal have also completed deals for Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz and Guardiola believes that Mikel Arteta has ‘bought starting players’ in a bid to challenge at the top once again.
“They didn’t buy players to make the squad bigger, they have bought starting players. I could not expect anything different. Arsenal have done it, Liverpool maybe a bit less but with Henderson and Fabinho gone they will do it, and United. Every season teams want to make [themselves] better.”
