Arsene Wenger believes that his Arsenal squad is in better shape than it was 12 months ago.

The French boss was forced to part with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri last summer, as well as having a number of injuries to contend with.

However, despite speculation regarding the future of captain Robin van Persie, Wenger has insisted that the arrivals of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla have made his team stronger.

"We are in a much stronger position now because last summer we lost Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, and on top of that we lost Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere [to injury]," Wenger told reporters.

"We lost four players at the start of last season and that is not the case this time."

Arsenal open up their Premier League campaign with a home match against Sunderland on Saturday.