Romelu Lukaku will edge Everton closer to top four spot says Arsene Wenger
Arsenal boss believes purchase of the £28m man shows extent of EFC's ambition
Everton's Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring against Arsenal
Arsene Wenger believes Everton’s £28m capture of Romelu Lukaku will edge them closer to gate-crashing the Premier League’s top four.
The Gunners boss is confident ahead of today’s Goodison clash, after his side started their campaign with a win over Crystal Palace last weekend.
But he admits the Toffees, who took four points off Arsenal last term as they competed with the Londoners for fourth place, are becoming ever more of a threat to the top flight’s established order.
“They [have a good chance] because this season they have entered the bracket of clubs who spend between £20-30 million for one player,” he said.
“Behind that is the ambition to go into the top four and they were close last year. They lost some pivotal games, I think about Crystal Palace, which allowed us to get in front of them after they beat us. But they have the quality.”
Wenger believes this evening’s game is a “good opportunity” for his players to prove that they have progressed as a team.
Arsenal were beaten 3-0 at Goodison Park in the corresponding fixture last season, and struggled away from home against most of their biggest rivals.
However, Wenger is confident his side will produce a stronger performance this time around as they underline their growing maturity.
“First of all a team is life and life is movement,” he said. “That means the team doesn’t stand still, we move forward and improve.
“We have young players, which means that every year they can be better. Also the team improves with success, which we had a reasonable [amount of] last year.
“We have a good opportunity on Saturday to show that we have moved forward and that we are stronger than last year.
“On the day, Everton deserved to win. We were unlucky with the goals we conceded because two of them were not regular. We had an off day but I think in a season that can happen.
“We beat them in the FA Cup in a convincing way, so it will be interesting, because they are a team now flirting with the Champions League places. It’s a good, good test.”
Source: Echo
