Arsenal legend Martin Keown issues title warning ahead of new season

Szczesny, 25, sealed his season-long switch to the Serie A side last month following the arrival of Petr Cech at Arsenal, and the Poland goalkeeper is relishing his opportunity to play for the Giallorossi.

Manager Arsene Wenger moved to strengthen the squad with the £10million summer addition of veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech, and Arsenal continue to be linked with a big-money bid for Real Madrid’s France worldwide forward Karim Benzema. The Gunners are out on a mission to take the Premier League title away from Chelsea and this is just the first step of their journey.

Yet again, this year’s Premier League title figures to be a four-horse race featuring all the usual suspects from the top of the table year after year – Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, in a totally alphabetical, non-preferential order. “We have good form, so whether we can keep that and start the season well is the key”.

Too often, Wenger’s men have been considered a soft touch, their gung-ho attacking philosophy picked apart by quality opposition.

To that end, Arsenal sources say that Wenger has been working tirelessly in training on team shape, particularly on staying compact defensively in central defence and central midfield. After back-to-back FA Cup victories, they have built a winning mentality and feel ready to win the title.

But Wenger’s commitment to his purist principles has never been in question and his latest group of creative talents – Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere – stands comparison with any other collection of attacking players in the top tier. A few seasons ago, they employed it to score a dig at former striker-turned-villain Emmanuel Adebayor, after a clip emerged of Alex Song knocking hos hat off his head before a North London derby.

“Because of this, he [went] five years – maybe the best of his career – without a trophy”.

Wenger’s current rival, of course, is Jose Mourinho, and his feud with the Chelsea manager will rumble on, with all eyes on the touchline when the teams meet in September. It gives us the best chance.