Having tasted title success, Arsenal appear well placed to build on their momentum and could yet dip back into the market for another marquee addition before the deadline, despite missing out on Vinicius Junior after his recent contract extension with Real Madrid.
Pardew believes the psychological lift of being champions changes the entire dynamic around the club: “When you’ve won the title, it’s a different confidence and it’s a different thing. Those players have all got the gold medal in the locker and now they’ve brought in a top, top midfield player to add to that, and maybe another big star to come as well. I think that’s where the key is: who is this next player going to be for Arsenal? Because he could take them to a level where they win the league with a bit to spare.”
Assessing the contrast between the two sides on Sunday, he added: “At the moment, the jury is way, way out on a Community Shield performance, but they’ve come back, they look mentally strong and they were much more at it today than Manchester City. Manchester City looked like they were just getting through it, it’s perhaps not where their focus is, and Arsenal were the complete opposite. That showed.”
