Jamie Carragher has already named the team he believes will win the 2026-27 Premier League title, and it’s not Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The Gunners finally got their hands on the iconic trophy for the first time in over 20 years last season, and will go into the new campaign as favourites. There has been a lot of change at the usual competitors, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all starting the season with new managers.

But pre-season always comes with excitement for fans of several clubs, who start to believe their team is about to embark on a special season. Carragher thinks only two fan bases have reason to be confident, and Liverpool aren’t one of them.

Jamie Carragher Picks His Premier League Winners

Appearing on the Football Ramble podcast this week, the Liverpool and England icon was asked who he thinks are the favourites going into the new season. He’s adamant there are only two clubs in contention.

While he did admit there’s still work to be done in the transfer market, Carragher claimed only Arsenal and Man City can lift the trophy next May. “Where we are right now, and we know there’s still a month to go transfer-wise, I can only see Arsenal or City,” he said.

Enzo Maresca is tasked with the impossible job of replacing Pep Guardiola at the Etihad this season. Carragher is a big fan oof the Italian coach, as he stated:

“If Rodri stays or goes that could be a huge factor,” the defender-turned-pundit claimed. When pressed to pick his outright winners, Carragher went with Man City, saying: “I think City. The reason I think City is that I think they were still close last year. I know Pep’s gone, I get that.

“When you’ve had the same manager for 10 years, the flip side of what people will say is that it’s hard to come after him. Just something a little bit new, a little bit fresh. I think if Rodri leaves for Real Madrid then I wouldn’t be saying that but in terms of where they are right now…”

Liverpool Ruled Out of the Premier League Title Race

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When asked if Liverpool have a chance of regaining the title after a poor 2025-26 campaign, their former centre-back essentially ruled them out of contention. He said: “Right now I don’t think Liverpool are equipped to be thinking about a title.”

“Who knows what’s going to happen over the next month but I don’t think they’re close to that,” he added. Carragher has been publicly vocal about Bradley Barcola not being the right man to target.

He didn’t give Manchester United much of a chance. Speaking about Michael Carrick’s team, he said: “Manchester United won’t win the league.

“The thing I’ve probably liked about United this summer is it has felt like for years that they’re obsessed with this big name. And I worry a little bit about my own club, Liverpool, with that, with what we did last summer.”

FIFA’s true feelings about Gianni Infantino have now emerged, just as football’s governing body has called a World Cup crisis meeting following the chaos surrounding their leader’s failed plot to sell stakes in the major tournament.

Infantino’s proposal sparked outrage from all corners of the football world, forcing him into a dramatic U-turn. UEFA nations threatened to boycott future tournaments unless the plan was scrapped, while several other confederations also voiced their disapproval.

As things stand, it remains unclear whether the latest developments will prove to be the point of no return for the Swiss millionaire. Support from Donald Trump and the six nations that still back him are currently the only things standing between Infantino and resignation.

Even if he chooses to stay on, Infantino faces an uphill battle to secure re-election to the position he has held since succeeding Sepp Blatter in 2016, with the next vote set to take place in March. And while his closest colleagues have remained relatively quiet throughout the turmoil, a leaked email has now revealed how they truly feel about his helmsmanship.

How FIFA Really Feel About Gianni Infantino’s Leadership

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom has ‘ripped Infantino to shreds’ in a leaked message to staff after the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup was abandoned. In a memo obtained by Sky News, he wrote:

He continued: “I assure you that you as members of the administration, you will be defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience. You do not need to worry.

“Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue, and that is why we should always keep our professionalism, sense of perspective and composure.”

Infantino also lost the support of his right-hand man, Carlos Cordeiro, who branded it “a bad deal for football” and resigned in protest, laying bare the issues with the current vision.

More Details About FIFA’s Crisis Meeting on Wednesday

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Anne-Marie Sorvin

Infantino is now set for crunch talks on Wednesday with senior FIFA staff, with the meeting set to take place in Rabat, Morocco – significant as it is set to be one of the next host cities in the 2030 World Cup. When presented with whether this week’s crisis meeting will bring an end to Infantino’s tyrannical reign, Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol explained: “This is going to be a very, very tense meeting. We don’t know how it’s going to end up.

“What is his stance going to be at this meeting? Is he going to throw in the towel and say, ‘I can read the room. I can feel which way the wind is blowing. I’m losing support all over the world. I’m losing support inside FIFA as well. I’m going to do the honourable thing and resign.’

“Or is he going to say, ‘I fight on. I’m the FIFA president. If you want me to leave, you’re going to have to take me down. And I still believe that I have significant support around the world, especially in South America, Africa and Asia.’ To get to the top of FIFA, you need to be a politician. And if you’re a politician, surely you have some instincts. You can sense that you are losing support. You can sense that your position is untenable.

“You sense that you have to do the right thing and resign. Of course, it’s going to be in terrible circumstances and he’s going to resign in disgrace. If he does decide to resign, this is not the way he would have liked to go out. But he’s made a cataclysmic error of judgment. And it was not just one quick decision that he got wrong. I haven’t spoken to anybody who knows how FIFA works and how football politics works who thinks that Infantino can survive.”

Arsenal are now closing in on a deal to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, but they are just getting started with their summer recruitment. The Gunners are said to be very close to reaching an agreement with Newcastle, and Guimaraes will be a vital addition to the midfield, helping Mikel Arteta establish a truly elite midfield tandem between Declan Rice and Guimaraes.

The Gunners are also said to be working on a left-winger deal, and it’s clear Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr is their prime target, but that is totally dependent on the Brazilian deciding not sign a new contract with Los Blancos, which remains in the balance.

But Arteta could yet sign another player amid an injury concern to start the new season.

Arsenal could move for a centre-back

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal could move for a new centre-back amid concerns surrounding William Saliba to start the season. Romano told Time2Play: “Arsenal is easily set to be one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League. The reigning English champs have already bagged Christos Tzolis to replace [Leandro] Trossard on the wing, but they’re nowhere near done.

“The plan is to stack another winger onto Arteta’s squad, and they might even grab a new centre-back given Saliba’s lingering back issues.”

Saliba underwent surgery on his back after the World Cup, where he exited at the semi-final stage following a defeat to Spain. The centre-back will be carefully managed by Arsenal upon his return, given the sensitive nature of the injury, and that will be a big blow for Arsenal.

Arsenal already have centre-back options

Stephane Mahe via Reuters

The Gunners have relied heavily on the Saliba-Gabriel Magalhaes tandem, but they will likely have to lean on others, like Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber or others to fill the void until Saliba is fully cleared to play, and we don’t yet know when that will be.

Fortunately for Arteta, he typically signs defenders who can play at centre-back and full-back, so Arsenal have a wealth of defenders who can play in the middle. It’s for that reason it is a surprise to see reports that Arsenal could sign a new centre-back, and it would be a big surprise to see them spend a significant fee to get one.

Another up-and-coming centre-back signing or a veteran signing for cover would make more sense, but again, any signing would likely go down badly with players like Timber, Riccardo Calafiori or Mosquera, who are not likely to start the season as starters, but all are more than capable of playing there.