Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong believes that the Gunners can challenge for the title within the next five years by purchasing West Ham United star Declan Rice.
David Moyes insisted that the Hammers midfielder isn't for sale last month as he said: "The first thing to say is that he is not for sale. If you are interested, well, it will be north of that because £100million was cheap last summer. £150million just now would be minimum but he is not for sale. What I do know is that it means there are only certain clubs that could even consider it."
But the 23-year-old - who is set to permanently takeover the captain duties in East London when Mark Noble retires at the end of the season - is attracting a lot of interest from some of England's top clubs. According to Frimpong, by making a statement signing like Rice, as well as adding some useful squad players, Arsenal will be able to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
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"Yes definitely [Arsenal can challenge]. A lot can happen in the five years, when Klopp came to Liverpool nobody was thinking they could win the Champions League as soon as they won it. Sometimes, you can get the right manager but if the board is not backing you, it becomes incredibly difficult," he told Boyle Sports.
"Arteta got the board to back him, they bought some quality players and this next transfer window they need to go the extra mile again, bringing even more players as the squad is thin. If they invest in a squad, I don't see why they can't be competing for titles within the next five years. Why not?"
He added: "I would like to have Declan Rice. He's a very good player, improved a lot and shown a lot of maturity for his age. He's done really well for West Ham, I'm a huge fan of his. A midfield of him and Partey being a very strong midfield partnership. I'd also like another left-back to compete with Tierney. I feel like we're really struggling in that department at the moment.
"I'd also want us to sign a striker - there aren't any that come to mind that are realistic signings at the minute, but that's one position we really need to strengthen."
Arteta's project is very much underway at the Emirates Stadium, and a win against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night will ensure that they secure Champions League football for the first time in five years. That's only going to help their prospects in the transfer market as Edu endeavours to strengthen the Gunners' squad heading into the 22/23 season.
