Analysis: Who can laugh at the last new striker line created by Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal at a sky-high price?

Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have invested heavily in the forward line this summer, and the signings of the three teams may not be over.

The new season of the Premier League is about to kick off, and this summer, the investment of each team in the front line has become the biggest background. Defending champion Liverpool is busy with the transfer market, with the goal of achieving the first Premier League title in team history, and they are not the only team to do so.

However, Liverpool is not an exception. While Arne Slott's team strengthened, their competitors also recruited soldiers on the front line.

Last summer, Slott signed Federico Chiesa only for Liverpool, Manchester United only introduced Joshua Zilker as a new forward, and Arsenal did not add any forwards in the summer window of 2024 - which led to the injury wave last season, and they had to push midfielder Mikel Merino to the strange No. 9 position.

But this year, everything has changed. Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal each have at least two new players on the front line, and Chelsea, Aston Villa and other teams have also made new moves on the front line.

So, which one of the strongest forwards in Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal? With only one week left before the start of the new season, Mirror Sports compared the forward configurations of the three teams.

Liverpool

Liverpool was the team with the most goals in the Premier League last season, scoring at least 14 more goals than any other team. It seems unusual to have a major blood swap on such a front line, but there are reasons behind it.

Diogo Jota's unfortunate death may have forced Liverpool to re-plan the forward line, but in fact there was a need for adjustment. Mohamed Salah won the Premier League Golden Boot with 29 goals last season, but scored only 2 goals in the last nine rounds, and will miss some games this season due to the African Cup of Nations.

The team's history champion Florian Werz and versatile Hugo Ekitic will strengthen the forward line that already has Salah and Cody Garkepo - although Werz is not a pure scorer; Chiesa hopes to make more contributions after the full preseason. Louis Dias' departure was more injured than Darwin Nunes, but the Reds had sufficient reserves at the winger. Slott mentioned that during Salah's participation in the African Cup, full-back Jeremy Flynnponco played the right wing.

The biggest suspense is Alexander Isaac. Liverpool may make a new offer to the Newcastle striker before the transfer window is closed. If the Swedes join, the forward line, which is already comparable to Manchester United and Arsenal, will easily become the strongest among the three.

Manchester United scored only 44 league goals last season, and among the relegation teams, only Everton scored fewer goals than them. The reason why the forward line must be strengthened is obvious, and Ruben Amorin and the club's transfer department take action early.

Matius Cunia and Brian Mbemo joined early. Both have experience in the Premier League and have good goals scored last season. Although some people think their goals exceed expectations (xG), Manchester United should laugh as long as they can get close to the total performance of 35 goals last season. The upcoming joining of Benjamin Sesco will bring United's total investment in the front line to about £200 million - slightly higher than Liverpool's spending on Wilz and Ekitic. Although Cesco has no Premier League resume, he is expected to contribute more than Rasmus Hoylund last season.

Hoylund may stay in the team, and Zilkze can also be used as a rotation, but Anthony, Jaden Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho may all follow in Marcus Rashford and leave the team on a permanent transfer or loan. Manchester United has good paper strength, but getting the new Trident in place will be the biggest challenge.

Arsenal

Arsenal scored 91 goals in the 2023-24 season, which became the reason for not strengthening the front line last summer window. But they always face the risk of injury, and the scale of the injury wave last season was quite large.

Michol Arteta may believe that the injuries of Kay Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will not repeat last season. Even so, new transfer manager Andrea Berta has made plans in case history reappears.

Victor Yorkez's arrival responded to the call for "signing a striker" in the past few years; winger Noni Marduk joined from Chelsea. Leandro Trosad may leave the team, Jesus cannot catch up with the beginning of the season, but Ethan Nvanelli is one year older and more experienced, and may be able to contribute more.

Yorke's performance in the Premier League is still unknown, but the 54-goal figure in 52 games last season is by no means accidental. Like Manchester United's Cesco, his question is how long he can adapt to the Premier League rhythm. Overall, Manchester United still ranks third, partly because of the low starting point. The team's performance depends largely on the coach and the players - Amorin is facing a test and needs to combine the three new players into an efficient whole.

Arsenal has a stronger foundation, especially after Havertz and Saka returned from injury. If the two can return to their pre-injury form, Gucres and Marduk quickly integrate (adding new members to a mature system should be easier than Manchester United's mission), and the Gunners will be in a good position.

At present, Liverpool's signings and Salah's stable strength are comparable to Arsenal. But if Isaac can be signed, their forward line will be difficult to surpass.