Paul Merson predicts likeliest challengers to Arsenal for Premier League title – it’s not Man City | OneFootball

Paul Merson has revealed the likeliest challengers to Arsenal for the Premier League title this coming season, and it isn’t Manchester City.

The Gunners won their first top-flight title for 22 years last term. Mikel Arteta’s side finished the campaign seven points clear of serial champions City, having finished second in each of the three seasons prior.

Arsenal are now the side to knock off the perch, and Arteta is trying to make them bulletproof, with the transfer of Bruno Guimaraes reportedly very close, and Julian Alvarez remaining in sight.

Former Gunner and Sky Sports pundit Merson has suggested they’re the side to beat again, but it won’t be City who are second to them this time.

He wrote: ‘I don’t think Man City will win the Premier League this year anyway. They didn’t win it last year with the best manager in the world. They were only ever in the title race because Arsenal had a bad three weeks.

‘I think Liverpool are Arsenal’s nearest challengers this season.’

Liverpool, though, have lost Mohamed Salah after nine very successful seasons of banging in goals and winning trophies, and are yet to replace him, though they’re pushing for Bradley Barcola.

They have only signed two players – Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz – since last season’s fifth-placed finish.

Merson feels Man City don’t need Rodri

While he doesn’t expect City to be quite as competitive as they have been in recent seasons, Merson also doesn’t see the eight-time champions as needing Rodri anymore, after they signed Elliot Anderson for £116million.

He said: ‘Rodri is one of the top two holding midfielders in the world, alongside Moises Caicedo. But I don’t see how him and Elliot Anderson play together.

‘Rodri is the best in the business at ticking it over, Anderson is going to be the best in the business at ticking it over. But to play both of them in there? I don’t think they need that.

‘How many teams are going to have a go at Man City? People go to the Etihad and shut up shop and counter-attack. Do you need two holding midfielders against Hull? No, of course not. Then all of a sudden, someone’s not playing.

‘Don’t get me wrong, in the big games, when they’re playing back away in the Champions League in a quarter-final or the last 16, then you need two holding midfield players. They were a bit too open in the Champions League and were well off it last year.

‘But the holy grail is the 38 games in the Premier League. And there aren’t enough games in the Premier League for them both to play in the same team.

‘Unless they bought Anderson and he gets a season of learning under the best in the world in Rodri. But £116m is a lot to spend on someone to be an understudy. Rodri will want to play, and he won’t want to sit there and be someone’s understudy.

‘But you’re still selling one of the best players in the world.’

Real Madrid are expected to be the side who lands the Spanish superstar.