Mohamed Salah names Arsenal as main contenders for Premier League title | OneFootball

Salah tips Arsenal in Premier League title race

Liverpool’s defence of their Premier League crown has barely begun, yet the battle lines are already being drawn. As ever, the opening weeks bring not only points but narratives, and Mohamed Salah has wasted no time in shaping one of his own.

Salah names Arsenal as favourites

Speaking on the PFA’s official livestream, Salah delivered a verdict that will intrigue Arsenal fans and needle Liverpool’s rivals in equal measure.

“You [Arsenal] have a great team this season and also last season, so you have a really good chance, I think you might even be favourites now,” Salah told the interviewer, an Arsenal supporter.

Photo: IMAGO

He went further, highlighting the Gunners’ continuity as a strength: “You have players who have been together for five years, so I can’t say I wish you luck as hopefully we do it again.”

Pressure on Liverpool’s shoulders

Yet, for all Salah’s deference, the focus remains on Liverpool. Champions last season and aggressive in the transfer market over the summer, Arne Slot’s side are the ones under scrutiny. They have done what strong champions must: reinforce from a position of strength. That ambition, however, brings pressure. Slot’s first task is to protect his squad from the suffocating weight of expectation.

Liverpool opened with a lively 4-2 win, Arsenal edged past Man United, and City, ominously, swept aside their opponents with ease. Each result was a statement, but none definitive.

Early season psychology

Salah’s suggestion that Arsenal are favourites feels less like resignation and more like a calculated move. Call it mind games, call it experience: by shifting the spotlight to Arteta’s side, he buys his own team breathing space. Liverpool fans will recognise the strategy. City, Arsenal, Liverpool — all will stumble at some point. Champions are defined by how they recover.

Gameweek three already looms large, with Liverpool facing Arsenal in what could offer the first genuine clue about the trajectory of this title race. For now, though, Salah has spoken, and his words echo far beyond a casual interview.