Arsenal and Liverpool given clear verdict after Jamie Carragher squad depth claim

Jamie Carragher laid his cards on the table before Arsenal took on Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

"I think Arsenal have the best squad in the country, I do believe that," Carragher confidently stated on Sky Sports . "Let's not forget that [Martin] Odegaard, [Kai] Havertz and [Gabriel] Jesus are out injured. That bench is as good as the team on the pitch."

Arsenal needed a 93rd-minute equaliser from substitute Gabriel Martinelli to earn a point in a 1-1 draw against City in a match which didn't quite reinforce Carragher's point. While Mikel Arteta was able to turn to the returning Bukayo Saka and £67.5million summer signing Eberechi Eze from his bench, they were unable to blow away Pep Guardiola's deep-set defence.

The result left Liverpool sitting pretty , five points clear of Arsenal and Tottenham at the summit of the Premier League table, following their 2-1 win over Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday. Arne Slot's side were bolstered by an unprecedented £450m splurge in the summer transfer window and have started the season with six straight wins in all competitions, with a new penchant for last-gasp winners paving the way.

There is still a long way to go until the finish line at the end of the 2025/26 season and squad depth will be key to success. So which Premier League side is best equipped to go the distance? We asked our Mirror Football writers to run the rule over the squads to see if they agree with Carragher's assertion.

Arsenal have the greatest strength in depth when considering a squad from back to front - which is how it should be for a club with designs on becoming title winners.

But this will only serve to pile even more pressure on manager Mikel Arteta, when it comes to bringing an end to Arsenal's long wait to be crowned English champions again. And while Arteta might have the most options in terms of selection, I'd suggest Liverpool counterpart Arne Slot has the most quality.

Liverpool's forward line is now unrivalled, while Slot has better midfielders than Arsenal, and in Virgil van Dijk, arguably the greatest centre-back in world football..

I make Jamie Carragher right. But it doesn't make Arsenal title favourites. And yesterday showed exactly why.

After being the bridesmaids over the last few seasons, Arsenal's summer additions should really be enough to make them the bride. Viktor Gyokeres should be the missing piece of a title-winning jigsaw, while nicking Eberechi Eze from under the noses of Tottenham at the 11th hour was a fantastic bit of business.

But the Gunners are still too cautious in their setup and that has to fall on Mikel Arteta. For the amount of creativity they have on the pitch, they simply do not forge enough chances in open play.

Manchester City were absolutely there for the taking at the Emirates. It was a City side almost unrecognisable in their reluctance to dominate possession and dominate in big games. But Arsenal were not brave enough to kill them off and in the end could count themselves fortunate not to succumb to the ultimate smash-and-grab win.

Arsenal went to Anfield for a 0-0 and were undone by a moment of magic from Dominik Szoboszlai. Liverpool have already showed in the opening weeks why they are favourites to retain their title, regardless of whether their squad is the best on paper.

There is not even a debate on this one. Liverpool have by far and away the strongest squad in every regard. Trying to suggest it is Arsenal is just delusional. Manchester City are probably even stronger than Arsenal. Why? Because they have know-how and experience. But Liverpool’s is streets ahead.

They had around £300m worth of talent on their bench for the Merseyside Derby on Saturday once you take into account Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. Last season's best has just got better. And furthermore, this is not just about price tags and who has spent what. They have proven quality and players who know what it takes.

That’s why even if Liverpool do look a little bit light in central defensive cover for Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, they make up for it with players who know what it takes to get their team over the line. They also have competition. They signed Wirtz and we’re all thinking: where does Dominik Szoboszlai play? He plays absolutely everywhere. From right back to No.10, to midfield to doing any job for the team. He has been the best player in the Premier League so far this season. He's embraced the competition and gone up a level.

That is why Liverpool have the best squad. And they will win the title by a street.

There’s an adage that teams win one-off games but squads win league titles – and there’s an argument this is what has kept Arsenal from getting over the line. Last season they weren’t quite able to shake off a lack of attacking depth during the second half of the campaign, while defensive injuries made the difference in 2023.

Despite playing catch-up so far, Manchester City still have an argument for having the best squad, but two busy windows means there’s significant adaptation needed. It may well be a case of whether they’re still in touch by the time everything clicks – if, indeed, it does click.

The fact that we’re having this conversation at all tells its own story, though. In previous years, City would have been considered far and away the best based on their ability to stockpile talent and keep players happy enough to stick around despite a lack of minutes.

This year, it’s a close-run thing, with Liverpool getting Hugo Ekitike to hit the ground running and Arsenal seeing early positives from a number of their new signings. City still edge it, but that will count for little if Pep Guardiola can’t work his magic in the way he has done in years gone by.

I think it is a close-run thing between Arsenal and Liverpool for who has the best squad this season, but I think the latter just take the crown. The summer of spending at Anfield means they now have an array of attacking options, even without the addition of Alexander Isak on deadline day. The one worry for Arne Slot would be the depth he has at centre-back; there was a reason the club made a move for Marc Guehi.

But even with that deal falling through, I still feel that the attacking players in Slot’s squad put them ahead of Arsenal. In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch is proving to be one of the standout players in the Premier League this season, then he has Alexis Mac Allister alongside him and Dominik Szoboszlai in front.

At the minute, it’s Hugo Ekitike providing the goals, to be able to rotate him or even play him alongside Isak, it’s going to scare most defenders that they come up against. If Liverpool go back in for Guehi in the January transfer window , then I can’t see an area of weakness in the squad.

A lot is made of Arsenal's stellar squad, owing to their summer recruitment, but Liverpool's isn't far behind, if at all. After all, the Reds did spend more than £400m to get their player pool looking as impressive as it is.

The Gunners can boast a host of quality, but one thing that hangs over a lot of those players is that they are yet to get over the line. Quality? Yes. Winning experience? A box that still needs to be ticked.

That's why I think Liverpool's squad is maybe as impressive, if not maybe edging it. Perhaps the Gunners may edge if when it comes to depth. But this crop of players at Anfield know how to win titles and even those they've signed, the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, have claimed trophies at previous teams.

With the constant churn of players at Stamford Bridge and the extraordinary money spent, Chelsea should have the best squad depth in the Premier League. But the Club World Cup champions have seen a substantial drop-off in key positions. It's the Blues' north London neighbours, Arsenal, that boast the best squad this season.

The entire focus of their transfer window seemed to be in finally securing a striker and Viktor Gyokeres' dramatic push to make that happen. But amid the flurry of briefs surrounding that, the Gunners made a number of sensible signings that have already paid off after early injuries to Bukayo Saka and William Saliba; £13m for Cristhian Mosquera looks like a bargain and Christian Norgaard is a perfect addition to cover for Jorginho's departure. Arsenal have found themselves runners-up time and time again because they lacked fire power. Over the summer, they finally addressed the problem, with not only their new big man up top but with Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke. Anyone would be hard pressed to find an obvious weakness in their current squad. Now it's up to Mikel Arteta to get the best out of his players to go from Premier League understudy to star of the show.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.