Michael Owen believes Arsenal will face a genuine title race next season, but competition for the crown will be limited to just two contenders. Following the Gunners' first Premier League title in 22 years, Owen has outlined his predictions for the competitive landscape ahead, identifying Manchester City and Manchester United as the only realistic threats to Mikel Arteta's defending champions.
Despite uncertainty surrounding Pep Guardiola's future at City, Owen remains convinced the club possesses the quality to mount another sustained challenge. "I think Man City will be strong, even if Pep leaves," the former Liverpool striker explained. "They ran Arsenal very close this season and have a good group of young players who will be in a title race next season." City's consistency across domestic competitions and their young talent pool suggest they will emerge stronger after a season where they fell short of their usual standards.
Manchester United's Dark Horse Status
Owen has backed Manchester United as an unlikely but genuine title contender under Michael Carrick's management. The turnaround at Old Trafford has been striking: after a disastrous campaign under Erik ten Hag that saw United finish in the bottom half, Carrick guided the club to third place. "From finishing bottom half under Amorim last year, Michael Carrick has come in and done an excellent job," Owen noted. United's resurgence positions them as dark horses capable of mounting a serious title push if their upward trajectory continues.
Liverpool, conversely, has been ruled out by Owen as a top-two threat. While Arne Slot's side will harbour ambitions of competing, Owen believes they need near-perfect execution across all departments to close the gap. "Liverpool will hope to challenge, but they need to get everything right to do so and I'm not sure they are there just yet," he explained. The Merseyside club must address their consistency issues before being viewed as genuine title challengers alongside Arsenal, City, and United.
As the transfer window approaches, the battle for Premier League supremacy promises to be a three-way affair, with Arsenal's trophy-winning experience working in their favour against rivals plotting to dethrone them.
