Arsenal have ensured they will remain Man City's biggest Premier League challengers

New signings are all well and good but sometimes keeping what you already have is far more important. That's where Manchester City and Arsenal have differed this summer.

Following on from their intense Premier League title race that ended with the Blues running down their prey like a prehistoric pack of hunters, their triumph should not detract from how good Arsenal were for the majority of the season.

To go from finishing fifth the previous year to shrinking the gap between the clubs by nearly 20 points is a great achievement even if it didn't feel like one at the end. Now Mikel Arteta has to ensure it wasn't just a flash in the pan, a rare alignment of the stars that they allowed to pass them by, a one-off. Arsenal need to build upon their progress and try and go one step closer, while City need to make sure their dominance does not wane.

But it's the Gunners who have made the stronger start so far this summer and not just through their transfer business. At present, City have weakened since their Champions League final triumph due to the departure of Ilkay Gundogan. The Blues have said goodbye to several legends in recent years but none like this.

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While the likes of David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho were obviously on the decline, Gundogan is playing perhaps the best football of his career. The German played more matches last season than Kompany played in his last two. He remained an integral part of Guardiola's team and provided crucial goals in the biggest of games. Losing him is a hammer blow.

Mateo Kovacic has been signed to at least replenish the numbers in midfield but the club itself doesn't see him as a