LONDON: Arsenal and Manchester City are in an unusual position heading into the new Premier League (EPL) season.

For the first time since the 2004-05 season, Arsenal will begin their campaign as champions when they host newly promoted Coventry in the opening match this Saturday.

In contrast to the cheerful atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium, City are anxiously entering an era without Pep Guardiola after the Spanish manager ended his remarkable 10-year reign at the end of last season.

After several years in City’s shadow, Mikel Arteta’s squad caused a major change in the EPL balance of power last season when they finally won their first major league title in 22 years.

Arsenal finished seven points clear of runners-up City and were high on confidence as they began their bid to win back-to-back Premier League titles for the first time since the 1930s.

Arteta will not let his players get too comfortable with past successes and the painful defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in the Champions League final in May has fuelled Arsenal’s pursuit of more trophies.

Based on Arsenal’s convincing 3-0 victory over City in the Community Shield last Sunday, the Gunners have widened the gap between the two clubs since last season.

Arteta’s squad added Newcastle midfielders Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, with both impressing in the big win over City.

“The desire is there because I want to experience that moment again,” Arteta said. “We know the task is difficult. We know it will require something special and we are ready for it.”

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was appointed to replace Guardiola, but the Italian faces an almost impossible task of repeating Guardiola’s remarkable feat of winning 20 trophies during an unforgettable decade as manager.

Maresca won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea, but he lasted less than two years at Stamford Bridge before abruptly leaving the club amid strained relations with the club’s hierarchy and fans’ frustration with his boring tactics.

Chasing Arsenal while completing the team rebuilding process that Guardiola began by replacing aging star players with younger players is a very challenging task for Maresca.

City, who host Bournemouth in their first leg on Sunday, have already splashed out £116 million for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson.

However, the sale of World Cup-winning Spanish star Rodri to Barcelona was a huge blow to Maresca.

“After 10 games, if we collect 10 points, 20 points, 30 points. People will compare him with Pep after 10 games. It doesn’t put pressure on me,” Maresca said.

“Someone asked me if the task of replacing him was impossible. Maybe, but at the same time it was a privilege.”

MANCHESTER: Harry Maguire hopes Marcus Rashford will remain at Manchester United because he believes the England striker can improve the team’s strength and be a major threat in front of goal.

Rashford’s future at Old Trafford is still a question mark after he has not played for United since he was no longer the preferred choice of former manager, Ruben Amorim, in December 2024.

The 28-year-old then spent 18 months on loan with Aston Villa and Barcelona.

However, Rashford returned to the United squad last week after a long break following the World Cup and appeared as a substitute when Michael Carrick’s team lost 2-4 to Italian club AC Milan in pre-season yesterday.

Carrick previously described Rashford as ‘our player’, suggesting the striker is still in the team’s plans.

Maguire, on the other hand, hopes Rashford will stay at the club.

“Of course the transfer window is still open. As a player, we hope he stays because if he stays with us, he is a big asset.

“He can definitely improve our team. You can see when he comes on, he poses a big threat to the opposing defense and should be able to score goals.

“He’s a big threat,” Maguire said after the defeat to Milan.

United, who finished third in the EPL last season, will open their new campaign by visiting newly promoted Hull City on August 22.

LONDON: Arsenal emerged as the top favourites to defend the English Premier League (EPL) championship in the 2026-27 season based on predictions from Opta’s supercomputer which ran 10,000 data-based simulations.

Mikel Arteta’s team ended a 22-year wait to be crowned champions last season after beating Manchester City, thus ending three consecutive seasons as runners-up.

If he manages to defend the title, Arteta will become only the fourth manager in EPL history to do so after Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

Based on Opta’s predictions, Arsenal are given a 38 percent chance of lifting the trophy again in May next year, far ahead of their nearest challengers.

Manchester City are in second place with odds of 20.5 percent, followed by Liverpool (9.2), Manchester United (6.2), Aston Villa (4.8) and Chelsea (4.1 percent).

However, Arsenal have one concern as William Saliba’s back injury could have a major impact on their performance. The Gunners’ win rate in the EPL has dropped from 68.7 to 47.6 percent when the French defender is out.

Manchester City is once again seen as Arsenal’s main challenger despite the club losing legendary manager Pep Guardiola.

Liverpool are only given a 9.2 percent chance of winning, while Manchester United, managed by Michael Carrick, have a 6.2 percent chance.

Aston Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham are given 4.8, 4.1 and 2.9 percent chances respectively to finish the season as champions. Tottenham are also among the most active clubs in the transfer market after recruiting several high-profile players.

In the relegation zone, the three newly promoted teams are expected to face the highest risk of returning to the Championship. Hull City are most at risk with a 38.7 percent probability, followed by Ipswich (31.2) and Coventry (27.9).

Sunderland have a 25.9 percent risk of relegation after a shock season last year that saw them qualify for Europe. Fulham (23.4), Leeds United (22.5) and Crystal Palace (20) are also among the teams predicted to face relegation threats.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United are being urged to consider signing Real Madrid striker Endrick, who is reportedly keen to join the Premier League club.

Real Madrid paid Palmeiras £50 million for Endrick when he was just 16 and since then interest in the young striker has only increased.

However, despite being tipped to be a key player for Los Blancos and the Brazilian national team, the 20-year-old has struggled to make an impact in Madrid, with Kylian Mbappe well ahead of him in the squad’s priorities.

Endrick spent the second half of last season on loan at Lyon and is reportedly looking to move on loan again if he is not guaranteed regular playing time from Jose Mourinho.

Spanish media outlet AS claim Roma and Aston Villa have shown interest in signing the striker, with Villa looking to find a replacement for Morgan Rogers after the player moved to Chelsea for a record 117 million pounds.

It could be a huge success for Unai Emery’s squad, but former Venezuelan player turned analyst Ale Moreno believes Endrick is a great fit for United.

“I really think Real Madrid could use Endrick this season. So, if I were in Endrick’s place, I would actually consider staying at Real Madrid.

“However, if the question is where he should go, where he might go or where he will end up… we talk a lot about Manchester United.

“The more you think about it, the more it makes sense to have a player with Endrick’s profile. He’s different to what United have in the attacking midfield.

“So, I think maybe United could look at Endrick as a possibility.

“If I were him, I would stay at Real Madrid, but I see it from the perspective of a team at the top of the Premier League that could use a player like Endrick,” Moreno said.

Apart from Benjamin Sesko, United have no other natural number 9 strikers in the squad, although Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and the returning Marcus Rashford could operate as centre-forwards.

Endrick is said to be prioritising the chance to play in the Champions League, something United, Villa and Roma could offer him.

Moreno added: “It wouldn’t feel like a huge downgrade, if you know what I mean, to move from Real Madrid to United.

“After last season when he was on loan and did well, he must have thought, ‘Okay, let’s move on. Will that happen at Real Madrid? Maybe not. So, let me go somewhere else that allows me to do that.’

“I don’t know where that place is. I just think Manchester United could use a player like Endrick.”

On the other hand, former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol believes Endrick needs to join a club that can guarantee his place in the starting lineup every week.

“I’m thinking more about Fulham, where he will 100 percent play.

“Fulham will play attacking football. They won’t win every time but they will win often and create a lot of chances.

“A player like Endrick needs to go to a place where he can play consistently. Otherwise, what’s the point of leaving Real Madrid?” said Nicol.

LONDON: Arsenal fans will have to wait a little longer to see the official announcement of Bruno Guimaraes’ arrival after his £75 million transfer from Newcastle United faced delays.

Although the Brazilian midfielder has joined his new teammates for pre-season training, administrative problems have delayed the official announcement of the transfer.

Arsenal had previously reached an agreement with Newcastle for a transfer fee of 75 million pounds, but the final confirmation process was still delayed due to bureaucratic issues.

According to a report by The Sun citing Diario AS, Arsenal managed to reach an agreement to pay the full amount of 75 million pounds over 24 months without any performance-based additions.

Although there are no official photos of the signing, the transfer is considered to be almost complete after Guimaraes participated in his first pre-season training session under Mikel Arteta yesterday.

Guimaraes’s move to north London began after he met with new Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle at the club’s pre-season training camp in Spain to request a transfer.

After getting the green light from Newcastle, the player immediately flew to London to undergo a medical.

The transfer ends Guimaraes’ glorious spell with Newcastle after joining the club from Lyon in January 2022 for a fee of 40 million pounds.

During four and a half seasons at St James Park, he made 195 appearances, scoring 31 goals and creating 32 assists.

Guimaraes was a key figure as Newcastle ended a 70-year wait for a major trophy after winning the League Cup last year.