Carragher snubs recent winners, names Premier League favourites

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has effectively ruled out his boyhood club from the upcoming Premier League title race while naming Manchester City and Arsenal as the only realistic contenders.

Speaking on the Football Ramble podcast, the legendary centre-back delivered a brutal assessment of Liverpool's current squad depth ahead of the new campaign.  

The pundit expressed significant concerns regarding the club's transfer strategy, insisting that they remain severely underequipped following the departure of Egyptian talisman Mohamed Salah.

Carragher admitted he was left scratching his head over the club's ongoing pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain left-winger Bradley Barcola, arguing that Liverpool desperately need a natural right-sided attacker instead.  

"Right now I don’t think Liverpool are equipped to be thinking about a title," Carragher explained.  

"Who knows what’s going to happen over the next month, but I don’t think they’re close to that. I think Liverpool need two defenders and a top right winger to be in the chat or be in the chase."

"They haven’t replaced Mohamed Salah. We’re going for Bradley Barcola, and I’m sitting there, scratching my head."

Despite both Arsenal and Liverpool having won the Premier League more recently, Carragher surprisingly tipped Manchester City to reclaim the crown under newly appointed manager Enzo Maresca.  

The pundit argued that the arrival of the former Chelsea tactician could provide a much-needed fresh impetus for the Cityzens following the departure of iconic coach Pep Guardiola.  

Carragher, however, noted that retaining influential Spanish midfielder Rodri amid interest from Real Madrid is a condition for his prediction to play out. 

"Where we are right now, and we know there’s still a month to go transfer-wise, I can only see Arsenal or City," Carragher said.  

"There’s a question because he [Maresca] is new to the role, but I’m a fan of Maresca in terms of what he does on the pitch, in terms of what happened at Chelsea, in terms of watching him tactically and how he set up."

"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 ten 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 left for Real Madrid then I wouldn’t be saying that but in terms of where they are right now… If you’re City, what’s the point in selling Rodri? What’s the point?"

Carragher's prediction arrives just months after Arsenal ended their long domestic drought under Mikel Arteta.  

During his ongoing tenure at the Emirates Stadium since 2019, Arteta notably led the Gunners to the 2025/26 Premier League title last season.

Meanwhile, Carragher made his own legacy at Liverpool during a 17-year playing career between 1996 and 2013, notably winning the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League with the Reds.