Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has predicted that Arsenal will lift the 2024-25 Premier League title. The Englishman claims to have a ‘sneaky feeling’ that the Gunners will finally overcome the hump and win the league after finishing as runners-up for the past two seasons.
Since his appointment as Arsenal manager in December 2019, Mikel Arteta has developed a world-class squad at the Emirates Stadium, one potent enough to challenge for the title. However, despite his best efforts, City have won every single EPL title since 2017, bar one (won by Liverpool in 2019-20).
Despite their shortcomings, Ferdinand predicted that Arteta would finally lead his side to the top of the English pyramid for the first time since their invincible 2003-04 season. During TNT Sports’ coverage of the UEFA Super Cup, the 45-year-old said (via TBR Football):
I think it’s hard to go against City because of how successful they’ve been over the last four seasons. They’ve set a new benchmark and now a new record of four in a row and that’ll be their aim, that’ll be the target and that’ll be the thing they’ll be aiming for, for sure in their dressing room.”
While Ferdinand gave City their flowers, he mentioned that the addition of Riccardo Calafiori to the Gunners’ squad would solve their defensive woes and put them over the edge. He added:
“But I just think Arsenal, maybe [Riccardo] Calafiori coming in on the left side, if he kind of comes in and shores that area up, I think he’s a fantastic player, played in a Bologna team under Thiago Motta that had a lot of rotations so he understands that type of football that [Mikel] Arteta wants to play.”
“And I think that was the area that you would say was a slight weakness in the team and I think he gives them more balance there and a bit of stability, more stable so I’d go maybe Arsenal to win and there’s got to be a hunger.”
Ferdinand also predicted that Liverpool would finish third in Arne Slot’s first season in charge of the club and the Red Devils to finish fourth, claiming:
“Man United improving on that eighth position of last season to top four but I’ve got a sneaky feeling about Arsenal.”
Former Chelsea ace echoes Rio Ferdinand’s comments, claims Riccardo Calafiori will help Arsenal win EPL title
Former Chelsea forward Joe Cole has claimed that Arsenal’s new signing Riccardo Calafiori will help them win the 2024-25 Premier League title. He echoed the sentiments of his former English compatriot Rio Ferdinand, who claimed that the Italian solved a positional weakness for the Gunners.
Speaking on TNT Sports, the 42-year-old said (via Eurosport):
“I’ll be excited to see how he improves this Arsenal team. I really like him. I picked him out at the Euros, he reminds me of a young Paolo Maldini. He’s really composed and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t make an impact on English football. I’ve only seen him play a handful of times but the calmness on the ball, the composure when he’s defending, the instincts and where he puts himself.”
