SINGAPORE — Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his squad will be among the leading title contenders for the upcoming Premier League season, even though veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech has been the club’s only big-name signing so far this summer.

Arsenal’s closest rivals have been busy beefing up their squads ahead of the new season, which kicks off on Aug 8. They include Manchester United, who have been in free-spending form with several signings, including Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich.

Manchester City are also poised to complete the transfer of Raheem Sterling from Liverpool for £49 million (S$103.9 million) — the 13th-most-expensive transfer in history.

In contrast, Cech, who is set to make his Arsenal debut against a Singapore Selection in the Barclays Asia Trophy at the National Stadium tonight, has been Arsenal’s only big-name signing so far, a £10 million acquisition from Chelsea.

But while he has not ruled out further signings, Wenger is banking on continuity as they bid to land their first Premier League title since 2004.

“You have so many teams with the potential to win the league that everybody looks around and thinks ‘what are they doing?’,” said Wenger at the pre-match press conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel yesterday.

“But that could be disruptive. Instead, we want to focus on ourselves and see how we can develop from last year. That is the most important, and not to waste too much energy looking around us.”

Defender Kieran Gibbs added: “What’s key is that we continue the form and belief we’ve shown over the last two years. The team is growing every year. (Chelsea captain) John Terry said Petr (Cech) can win a club 15 points a season. If you see where we finished last season, and if he (Terry) is right, then we have a good chance to win the Premier League.”

Following the completion of the repayment of debt incurred from the construction of the £390 million Emirates Stadium — which forced the club to exercise financial prudence in the transfer market over the past few seasons — Wenger has been able to complete several key transfers including the signings of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil over the previous two years. This has translated to on-pitch success for Arsenal, who secured back-to-back FA Cups in the past two seasons.

Although Arsenal’s financial health has improved, Wenger, 65, suggested he is not about to go on a spending spree. “I believe that part of the success of the team is their level of cohesion as well and we are currently at a good level,” he said.

“It is very important for the squad and myself now to see how we can move forward from last season. We have the quality, and it’s now how much we can be stronger together.”

The Singapore Selection side, made up mainly of national players from the Republic, are not expected to provide too stiff a test for Arsenal.

But Wenger, who coached in Japan with J-League side Nagoya Grampus Eight in the 1990s, said: “Teams in Asia are usually very mobile, quick and disciplined, so I expect that kind of team. We had some different experiences in Asia, but because we are currently in a preparation stage, we expect to suffer a little bit.”

Barclays Asia Trophy on Singtel TV today:

Everton v Stoke: Ch 102, 6pm

Arsenal v Singapore Selection: Ch 102, 8.30pm

Visit www.sportshub.com.sg for ticketing and other details