Granit Xhaka believes it will take a considerable amount of time for Arsenal to challenge for the title again.
The Gunners will be looking to bounce back from the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool this weekend by going up against Tottenham Hotspur.
The overall objective of the club is to avoid Europa League football next season. Returning to the top four of the Premier League is top priority, the chances of which were severely improved through the business Arsenal conducted in the summer.
While that is achievable at this point of time, Xhaka believes it could be as long as 4 years before Arsenal can reach the level of Liverpool and Manchester City.
“We know they [Liverpool’s players and Klopp] have been working together for three or four years,” he said. “We had new staff last year, we are improving our way and we need some time as well. With Liverpool, the first Premier League season with Klopp was not the best. You can see how they’ve improved and how it can work if you are together more than three or four years.
“They are a good example of where we can be in three or four years but we want to make a good season this year and be back in the top four. We lost the game [at Anfield]. You can lose a game [sometimes] and we are not the only team that have lost there. I don’t think it was a bad game for us.
“We were good defensively, very strong. The first goal killed us a little bit before half-time but it’s the past and we want to speak about the future. We have had a great week and we know how big the game on Sunday is.”
Tottenham have finished above their North London rivals for the past three years but have not won a match at the Emirates since December 2010.
“In the last few years, we’ve won at home and we played a good game away last season as well,” said the Switzerland midfielder. “We want to show that on Sunday. We are close as two teams. It’s important to win this game before the international break.”
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