Who has the best squad in world football for the upcoming season?

It's a question worth considering because this has been a particularly active summer window, especially for Premier League clubs who recently summited the one billion pound mark in transfer expenditure.

Clubs like Tottenham and Arsenal have invested heavily in the top talent from across Europe and so they've seen huge upgrades on the position they would have found themseves in last campaign.

We've ranked which 12 clubs we feel have the most stacked rosters out there ahead of the 2022/2023 football season. For each club, rather than listing their entire squad, we've picked out the key players along with a couple of deputies that detail where the main strengths are in each squad.

Ranking the 12 best squads in world football

12. Arsenal

As mentioned, Arsenal have invested smartly over the summer. The acquisition of Gabriel Jesus from Man City ought to be a real boost to their attacking output.

And with the Brazilian's former teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko reportedly set to follow suit and join the Gunners, Mikel Arteta could be sitting with a very strong hand come August.

Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale, Bernd Leno

Defenders: Kieran Tierney, Gabriel, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Hector Bellerin, Nuno Tavares

Midfielders: Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Thomas (Partey), Granit Xhaka

Attackers: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah

Gabriel Jesus Arsenal
NUREMBERG, GERMANY - JULY 08: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal looks on during the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal F.C. at Max-Morlock-Stadion on July 08, 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

11. Inter Milan

So, Inter have re-signed Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea and the question is - which Lukaku are they getting?

If he can return to the same kind of form that saw him bag 30 goals for the Nerazzurri the season before last, well, you can expect Inter to walk the Serie A this season looking at the state of their squad.

Especially with Juventus looking so comparatively weak to previous seasons after selling Giorgio Chiellini and Matthijs de Ligt...

Goalkeepers: Samir Handanovic, Andre Onana

Defenders: Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni, Stefan de Vrij, Mateo Darmian, Dalbert, Denzel Dumfries

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Robin Gosens, Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Attackers: Joaquin Correa, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko

Martinez and Lukaku
MILAN, ITALY - JANUARY 03: Romelu Lukaku of FC Internazionale celebrates his goal with his team-mate Lautaro Martinez during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and FC Crotone at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on January 3, 2021 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

10. Manchester United

Man Utd have been busy this window under new manager Erik Ten Hag and they could be set to get even busier yet.

Christian Eriksen looks like an interesting edition, as does Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia.

You can't help but feel like they need more, though, to breach that highly competitive top four - maybe Frenkie de Jong could be the answer if they can get that deal over the line...

Goalkeeper: David De Gea

Defenders: Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Eric Bailly, Alex Telles, Tyrell Malacia

Midfielders: Fred, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek

Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, Anthony Elanga

Man Utd's Bailly passes the ball

9. Atletico Madrid

Atletico never want a side full of world beaters, instead they prefer dogged, hard-working individuals with a touch of class to accentuate their efforts.

It fits in perfectly with their 'us against the world' attitude and under Diego Simeone that's exactly what they have once again for the 2022/2023 season.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak

Defenders: Jose Maria Gimenez, Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic, Renan Lodi

Midfielders: Geoffrey Kondogbia, Alex Witsel, Rodrigo de Paul, Saul Niguez, Koke, Marcos Llorente, Thomas Lemar, Yannick Carrasco

Attackers: Joao Felix, Angel Correa, Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, Matheus Cunha

Antoine Griezmann in action with Atletico Madrid
LYON, FRANCE - MAY 16: Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid celebrates after scoring his team's second goal of the game during the UEFA Europa League Final between Olympique de Marseille and Club Atletico de Madrid at Stade de Lyon on May 16, 2018 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

8. Chelsea

Chelsea are under new ownership and, in a similar fashion to Man United, you get the impression their transfer business isn't done just yet.

They've got rid of some deadwood in the likes of Lukaku and have brought in two world class stars in Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Kouliably.

At the time of writing, though, they still lack any real striker. And with Jorginho now looking a more aged figure in the middle of the park and a lack of decent cover at centre-back, one can only help but think that they may have lost their title of England's third best team ahead of the new campaign.

Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga

Defenders: Reece James, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso, Cesar Azpilicueta

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher

Attackers: Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic

N'Golo Kante in action for Chelsea
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Ngolo Kante of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on May 19, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

7. Tottenham

Spurs look a force under Antonio Conte. In Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son they have two of the very best attackers in the Premier League.

Add to them their new summer additions from other Premier League teams and raids across Europe, and we have to say, Man City and Liverpool might just be nervously glancing over their shoulders at this rate.

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris

Defenders: Djed Spence, Jan Vertonghen, Clement Lenglet, Davinson Sanchez, Sergio Reguilon, Matt Doherty

Midfielders: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma, Tanguy Ndombele, Rodrigo Bentancur, Giovanni Lo Celso, Ivan Perisic

Attackers: Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Moura

Son and Kane celebrate

6. Barcelona

They might be riddled with roughly €1.3 billion worth of debt, but that doesn't mean Barcelona's squad isn't stacked with elite footballers.

As a matter of fact, we think it's the strongest they've looked in a few years.

Goalkeepers: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Neto

Defenders: Gerard Pique, Roland Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba, Samuel Umtiti, Sergino Dest

Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Franck Kessie, Nico Gonzalez, Sergi Roberto

Attackers: Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Memphis Depay, Ferran Torres

5. Bayern Munich

Losing Lewandowski will no doubt be a huge disappointment for Bayern, however the addition of Sadio Mane might be enough to remedy matters on pitch for the Bavarian giants.

They've also signed De Ligt and Ryan Gravenberch this window - two young, very high potential Dutch stars.

Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer

Defenders: Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies, Matthijs de Ligt, Lucas Hernandez

Midfielders: Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Ryan Gravenberch, Marcel Sabitzer

Attackers: Sadio Mane, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman

Alphonso Davies
MUNICH, GERMANY - DECEMBER 17: Alphonso Davies of FC Bayern München runs with the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and VfL Wolfsburg at Allianz Arena on December 17, 2021 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

4. Real Madrid

The reigning Champions of Europe, again... Madrid won their 14th European Cup not by being the best team on the planet, but through their never say die attitude that allowed them to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

That's not to say that their squad isn't seriously impressive, though. They've been quietly building these last few years and a have an excellent blend of experience and youth.

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois

Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy

Midfielders: Casemiro, Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Lucas Vasquez

Attackers: Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio

Vinicius Real Madrid

3. Liverpool

Liverpool have come a long, long way in the six years that Jurgen Klopp has been in charge.

From Simon Mignolet to Alisson Becker. Mamadou Sakho to Virgil van Dijk. Glen Johnson to Trent Alexander-Arnold - the German really has transformed the Red Machine from a team languishing in the Europa League spots, to one of the finest the world has ever known.

Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, Kostas Tsimikas, Calvin Ramsay

Midfielders: Fabinho Tavares, Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Harvey Elliott, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Fabio Carvalho

Attackers: Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino

Fabio Carvalho on the ball

2.Paris Saint-Germain

The French champions make the podium for their incredible front three alone - Messi, Mbappe, Neymar? Get out of town...

You have to think that they'll be making a serious push for the Champions League title in the upcoming season.

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Keylor Navas

Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendez, Lavyin Kurzawa

Midfielders: Marco Verratti, Rafinha, Giorginio Wijnaldum, Ander Herrera, Julian Draxler, Idrissa Gueye

Attackers: Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Lionel Messi, Mauro Icardi, Hugo Ekitike

Messi, Mbappe and Neymar.

1. Manchester City

It was a close call between Man City and PSG for the top spot, however, ultimately, whilst we could potentially pick a weakness in one or two areas of PSG's team, City are rock solid across the board.

The addition of Erling Haaland could be enormous if he can stay injury free and he could prove the missing piece of the jigsaw as they hunt their first Champions League crown.

Goalkeeper: Ederson Morales

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Joao Cancelo, Nathan Ake

Midfielders: Rodrigo, Kalvin Phillips, Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish

Attackers: Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez

New Man City signings