Patrice Evra believes Arsenal need to sign ‘three big players in January’ as they will be ‘done’ if William Saliba gets injured.
Mikel Arteta’s side enjoyed a sensational first-half to the season, moving five points clear of defending champions Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
Despite Arsenal’s brilliant form, Evra is ‘worried’ about the squad depth at the Emirates and says the Gunners need to strengthen in January to maintain their title push.
Arsenal have already lost star striker Gabriel Jesus to injury and former Manchester United defender Evra says they will be ‘done’ if Saliba went the same way.
Saliba was one of Arsenal’s best players before the World Cup break, with his form earning him a place in France’s squad for Qatar, though he only made one appearance.
‘We don’t know who’s going to win, it’s an exciting Premier League and it’s been an exciting start,’ Evra told Betfair.
‘For me, the three best teams right now are Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester City. We still don’t know who’s going to win but I will tell you one thing, and this is coming from a Manchester United legend, I actually want Arsenal to win.
‘The Premier League is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. My worry for Arsenal, even if I only want to stay positive for them, is the depth of the squad.
‘I’m really excited to see who they are going to buy in January. Some clubs buy players when they are in a crisis, but like Sir Alex Ferguson used to do, you need to buy players when you’re at the top.
‘Imagine if Saliba got injured, the impact he has on the team if he was to get injured they would be done. So, they need another centre-back.
‘It’s a big chance for the owner of the club to backup Arteta. I’m sure that Arteta is convinced that Arsenal are going to win the league, and the players are convinced, but they need some backup.
‘I want to see the owner really back him if he needs three big players. I don’t know what specific positions they need to go for, definitely centre-back and maybe midfield.
‘This is down to the owner, they will have to make the decision, do they want to go to the next level or do they just want to keep living with the hope.
‘When Leicester won the title, in the season everyone was questioning if they could do it, we never believed it, and suddenly boom they were champions.
‘I think the same thing could happen with Arsenal.’
Arsenal and Manchester City are currently joined in the top-four by Newcastle United and Tottenham, with Manchester United and Liverpool just outside the Champions League spots.
Evra added: ‘It might surprise you, but I also think that Newcastle could go far.
‘When you look at Newcastle, and you see the fans with their flags that say “the city believes again” it’s amazing, what a fantastic job.
‘Man City will be Man City, and you have to be careful with Liverpool. This league is one of the toughest, you can lose against the team at the bottom of the league and you can win against a team in the top four.
‘I remember before the league started we saw some pre-season friendlies and people said City could win by this many points, by that many points, but it’s a crazy Premier League.’
MORE : Arsenal and Manchester United handed huge Joao Felix transfer boost
MORE : Paul Merson says Eddie Nketiah can’t replace Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal
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