Arsenal legend Frank McLintock has hailed the current squad as the strongest he has ever seen and is tipping his former club to win the Premier League title this season.
The Gunners are seen as genuine contenders to the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United for the league title in the 2015/16 campaign after retaining the FA Cup in convincing style last season.
In addition to holding on to their best players, Petr Cech’s arrival from the Blues earlier in the summer has further strengthened the belief that the North London outfit can end their long wait for a league title and McLintock, who made over 400 appearances for the club, feels his former club are well equipped to mount a challenge this season:
“It is the strongest squad I have seen Arsenal have and I think they are going to go much closer than they have before,” the former defender told talkSPORT.
“In the last nine years I’ve felt Arsenal were a long way from winning the championship but I think this is the closest they have been. The whole squad looks much stronger to me,” McLintock added.
Arsenal have certainly been in good form during pre-season and were particularly impressive on Saturday afternoon as they brushed aside last season’s Ligue 1 runners-up Lyon 6-0 at the Emirates Stadium, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal the pick of the bunch.
SEE ALSO:
Injury-prone former Arsenal star set to be offered pay-as-you-play deal by Ligue 1 giants
Arsenal reject transfer bid from Premier League side for defensive star
Arsenal and Marseille face fresh COMPETITION for POWERHOUSE transfer target
The Gunners begin the new campaign with a home game fixture against London rivals West Ham on August 9 before facing another derby against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park a week later.