LONDON: Armed with around £260 million worth of new signings, Liverpool have spared no expense in trying to ensure last season’s Premier League title marked the dawn of a new age of domination in English football.

The post-Juergen Klopp era began with Dutchman Arne Slot’s side wrestling control from Manchester City and turning the title race into a procession as their rivals imploded.

Winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 1984 is likely to prove a rather more arduous challenge.

Premier League clubs have already splurged in excess of two billion pounds with the likes of Arsenal, City and Chelsea all flexing their muscles with statement signings.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hots­p­ur will surely improve drastically on woeful domestic campaigns last season while the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United will again be making themselves heard at the top table.

While Liverpool won’t care, last season’s Premier League campaign was not a vintage edition, with the title sewn up early, the relegation victims all too predictable and the main interest being the jostle for European qualification.

Hopes are high that the new season will offer more intrigue.

It will be a sombre occasion as Liverpool and Bournemouth kick off a 380-match Premier League slog on Friday with the Anfield faithful remembering Diogo Jota, the club’s Portugal forward who died alongside his brother in a car crash in July.

While Jota will forever have a place in the hearts of the Kop, new heroes are ready to emerge, none more so than German midfielder Florian Wirtz and French forward Hugo Ekitike.

Liverpool smashed their transfer record when they paid Bayer Leverkusen an initial £100 million to sign the 22-year-old Germany international, who scored 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for the Bundesliga club.

Allied with the pace and power of 23-year-old Ekitike, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial £69 million, Liverpool will have more cutting edge this

season.

After the departures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, Liverpool are not yet done in strengthening their forward line and are expected to launch a fresh bid for Alexander Isak, with Newcastle demanding a British transfer record fee for the Swedish striker.

Liverpool’s rivals will hope Wirtz and Ekitike take time to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League after shining in Bundesliga, while there are defensive doubts for Slot’s men to answer.

Liverpool have upgraded in defence with highly-rated left back Milos Kerkez set to challenge Andy Robertson and Jeremie Frimpong to fill the hole left by the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid but Slot said his side need to defend better after leaky performances in pre-season were followed by defeat in the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on Sunday after twice blowing the lead.

CAN GYOKERES FIRE?

After finishing second for the past three seasons, twice pushing Manchester City hard and last season emerging as Liverpool’s sole rivals before falling away, Arsenal are longing for their first title in 22 years and have backed Mikel Arteta with another near £200 million investment in the transfer market.

Spanish international Martin Zubimendi will be the new anchor of the midfield, while the signings of Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke and Kepa Arriza­balaga add depth to the squad.

But Arsenal’s season is likely to be defined by whether Viktor Gyokeres proves to be the answer to their need for a prolific striker.

The Swede struck 97 times in 102 games during two years at Sporting Lisbon, but the 27-year-old failed to make a breakthrough in the Premier League during his previous experience in England.

After coming up short at Brighton & Hove Albion, Gyokeres scored 41 goals in 121 games in England’s second tier with Coventry City and Swansea City.

“He’s a player that, when you leave him with the space one against one, he’s going to destroy you,” said Arteta of his new striker.

WILL CITY HIT BACK?

While Arsenal, who visit Manchester Uni­ted in their opener on Sunday, trailed in 10 points behind Liverpool last term, City were 13 adrift as they were dethroned last season after an unprecedented run of four consecutive titles; the wheels coming off for Pep Guardiola’s men without Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

The Spaniard has been ruled out till September due to a setback in his return from a serious knee injury.

Guardiola’s rebuilding job began last season and with talisman Kevin de Bruyne gone, that has accelerated with the signings of Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, Wolverhampton Wanderers left back Rayan Ait-Nouri and winger Rayan Cherki.

After a first trophyless season since 2016/17, City expect to be back in the fight for the title. They visit Wolves in the late game on Saturday.

FRANK FACES TOTTENHAM CHALLENGE

Former Brentford manager Thomas Frank takes charge of a Spurs team that finished 17th but won the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou and are back in the Champions League without talisman Son Heung-min who ended his 10-year stint this week.

Quite what the Dane will make of the jigsaw puzzle he has inherited from the sacked Postecoglou is anyone’s guess, but fans will expect to see a vast domestic improvement as they get under way at home to promoted Burnley on Saturday.

Likewise at Manchester United where Ruben Amorim begins his first full season in charge with the pain of their worst league campaign since 1974 still painfully fresh, having transformed the forward line with the signings of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

WORLD CHAMPIONS CHELSEA

Chelsea were the last side other than City and Liverpool to lift the title back in 2017 and showed they are a coming force once more by winning the Club World Cup in the US last month.

The Blues finished fourth, 15 points behind Liverpool last season, but their transfer policy of investing heavily in scores of young prospects is beginning to bear fruit.

Joao Pedro made an instant impact with three goals in three games at the Club World Cup after a £55 million move from Brighton and could solve Chelsea’s need for a world class goalscorer.

The Blues start their season at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

PROMOTED CLUBS AIM TO BUCK TREND

For Daniel Farke, Scott Parker and Regis Le Bris — managers of promoted trio Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland — the brief is simple: survival.

The omens are not good with the last six teams to gain promotion to the top flight going straight back down as the gap between the riches of the Premier League and the second tier continues to grow.

Leeds open their campaign at home to Everton two days after Sunderland welcome West Ham United on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2025