Arsenal told to make appointment ASAP after what happened at Liverpool

Sky Sports pundit Dougie Critchley has used Liverpool as a warning for the recruitment problems at Arsenal.

The Reds maintained pace at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win against Bournemouth on Saturday (1 February), but Arsenal ensured a title race is on the cards with a 5-1 demolition job of Manchester City the following day.

However, Arsenal failed to bolster the squad in the winter transfer window, and with Richard Hughes' failings as sporting director a popular topic of discussion at Anfield, Critchley warned the Gunners via X (4 February) to move swiftly to appoint an Edu successor.

He wrote: "The effect of Edu leaving is now abundantly clear... Arsenal's transfer strategy this January was muddled and frantic.

"Late bid for [Ollie] Watkins? Considering [Alvaro] Morata? No surprise though, Liverpool struggled for years with Sporting Director churn. Need a new one appointed as soon as possible."

Liverpool must stay ahead of Arsenal on and off the pitch

With Mikel Arteta's men putting five goals against Manchester City, it is clear Arsenal will be the leading challengers to Liverpool in the Premier League title race this season.

Neither added reinforcements before the 3 February deadline, but while this was expected always to be the case on Merseyside, Arsenal failed in a £60million bid to pry Watkins out of Aston Villa (BBC Sport, 29 January).

However, the Reds are in a more favourable position than their rivals, although Martin Zubimendi could indeed move to North London, Slot may already have a sure-fire alternative in his ranks meaning the transfer focus in the summer can shift elsewhere.

The dramatic fall off of Andy Robertson this year has been a cause for concern among the supporters and with Trent Alexander-Arnold's contract expiring at the end of the season, both full-back spots could need new faces.

Nevertheless, with the winter transfer window past, all the speculation of signings must be put on hold, with Slot gunning for silverware in his maiden year at Anfield.

A win against Tottenham on Thursday (6 February) will ensure a second consecutive Carabao Cup final berth, and a win against Everton in the rescheduled Merseyside derby (12 February) will open up a nine-point cushion at the Premier League summit.

The current Liverpool crop is performing at elite levels and should be rejoiced rather than speculating on potential improvements.

In other Liverpool news, Micky van de Ven sparks “transfer hope” at the Reds after Virgil van Dijk admission.

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