Arsenal defender Andre Santos has insisted that his club are aiming to win the Premier League title this season.

The Gunners bounced back from a poor start last season to finish in a credible third place, above North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Santos thinks that Arsenal will have higher aspirations this time round and are targeting a first league championship since 2004.

He told Four Four Two: "We shouldn't aim to get closer to the top teams, we have to leave them behind. I think we had a good performance last season, and if it wasn't for that poor start we could have fought for the title.

"Now we'll be more competitive with Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, who will make our team even more dangerous offensively."

Arsenal begin their 2012-13 campaign at home to Sunderland on Saturday.