Arsenal moves THREATEN Liverpool in title race

Liverpool have been sent into a standstill since it was announced that Diogo Jota had died.

This week has been flooded with tributes, as his family, his friends, his teammates and fans across the world have attempted to grieve the Portuguese footballer's loss, paying their respects.

READ MORE: At a time of tragedy Liverpool stands strong

It will still take a lot of time for people to fully process the news and as such, even though the Reds' preseason campaign is set to begin on Tuesday, there will be little else happening for the time being.

Football really is insignificant in situations like this and what happens before the season begins is going to be a mystery until it happens. The club will have to devise a plan of action accordingly.

READ MORE: Diogo Jota - He was one of us

And whatever that ends up being, it feels fair to have no expectations of the team for the new campaign because the impact of what is a truly heartbreaking situation should not be presumed.

Elsewhere, however, Liverpool's rivals are still making transfer decisions and we have the opportunity to assess where they are at, while Liverpool are going through their natural process.

Arsenal's impressive summer

Say it quietly, but Arsenal are making some impressive moves in the transfer market.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has joined for a £5m fee to become David Raya's understudy in goal, which is a move that seems to have few negatives to it.

He's experienced and if you need to rely on him at times, then you can have faith that he will deliver a reasonable performance to get you out of a hole.

Then you've got the confirmed move for Martin Zubimendi, who has joined for around £60m from Real Sociedad after snubbing the Reds last season.

Even though most Liverpool fans will be a little disappointed that he is joining a rival, we can all admit that it's a quality signing and given the success of Ryan Gravenberch last season, the Spaniard was no longer on the club's shopping list.

Beyond that, there is a rumoured move for Brentford's captain Christian Norgaard. Fabrizio Romano has given his 'Here We Go' confirmation that announcing the move is merely a formality, and for £9.5m, it is a shrewd signing to replace Jorginho has an experienced back-up defensive midfielder.

More moves incoming

Cristhian Mosquera's move from Valencia looks to be nearing a close, although a financial agreement isn't quite there yet. At just 21 years old, he will be a promising back-up for either William Saliba or Gabriel Magalhaes, and also for a reasonable fee of around £15m.

Beyond that, it seems as though Chelsea's right-winger Noni Madueke is potentially on the move, with personal terms having been reached, although there has been no formal approach.

Viktor Gyokeres has decided against returning to training with Sporting in order to force a move and he is said to have agreed personal terms and contract terms with Arsenal.

And then there are also rumours surrounding Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace and Rodrygo at Real Madrid in forward positions.

To put it bluntly, positions of need are being recruited in and wants rather than needs are also being explored. Whether everything above is confirmed or not, we will have to wait and see, but a lot of serious pieces of business are being rumoured and reliable sources are covering the stories.

READ MORE: Liverpool players must be given time and space to grieve

Following three consecutive second-place finishes, this might well be the season where they break through and get across the line. Manchester City have also made improvements as they strive to win their crown back, and Liverpool will be in amongst it next season, despite the uncertainty right now.

As a fan of the Reds, it feels wrong to put expectations on Liverpool, although I'm sure plenty of rival fans and TV pundits will have their say on things in time. But merely from a position of speculation, it seems fair to give credit to Arsenal for their recruitment efforts.

It all looks incredibly impressive.