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.

LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah is reportedly getting closer to joining Al-Ittihad after the Saudi Arabian club reportedly managed to reach an agreement that several other clubs failed to finalize.

According to a report by Turkiye, Sabah media, Al-Ittihad is prepared to offer the Egyptian striker a contract worth 21 million pounds per season for the 2026-27 season.

The development comes after Salah’s negotiations with Besiktas reached a deadlock, thus opening the way for Al-Ittihad to accelerate efforts to acquire the former Liverpool star.

Salah left Liverpool at the end of June after agreeing to terminate the remaining year of his contract early.

His previous contract with the Reds was reportedly worth around 400,000 pounds a week, but an increasingly strained relationship with the club, including manager Arne Slot, saw both parties choose different paths.

After that, Salah’s choice of new destinations became increasingly limited as only a few clubs were able to meet the 34-year-old’s financial demands.

Besiktas previously tried to secure Salah’s services with an offer of around 20 million euros per season including bonuses.

The Turkiye club reportedly offered the maximum amount they could provide, but negotiations stalled when the demands from the player’s representatives exceeded their means.

The situation shows that Salah is still attracting the attention of several clubs, but not many can afford his entire financial package.

Al-Ittihad is no stranger to trying to acquire Salah.

The club once submitted a 150 million pound offer to Liverpool in 2023, but it was rejected.

Despite failing at the time, Al-Ittihad never changed its stance because it considered Salah to be one of the most high-profile players in the world who was still capable of making a big impact on the pitch and from a commercial perspective.

Sabah reported that Al-Ittihad offered Salah an annual salary of US$25 million and the player has accepted the offer, while the process of signing the contract is said to be just a matter of time.

Previously, Salah was also linked with several other clubs including San Diego FC and Sporting Kansas City from Major League Soccer (MLS), Fenerbahce as well as several clubs in Italy.

However, financial factors are seen as the main obstacle for any club other than Saudi Arabia to realise the transfer.

If the transfer is confirmed, Al-Ittihad will finally have secured a player they have long been targeting.

For Salah, it offers a guaranteed future, elite player status and lucrative financial rewards.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will be bringing to a close one of the best players in the club’s modern history, who helped the Reds win two Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy as well as being a key pillar of the attacking machine for many years.

NEW YORK: Liverpool continued their winning streak under new manager Andoni Iraola after defeating Wrexham 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at Yankee Stadium, New York, this morning.

Teenage striker Rio Ngumoha scored the only goal of the match in the 75th minute with a close-range finish that was greeted with cheers from more than 42,000 fans, the majority of whom supported Liverpool, at the famous stadium, which is home to the New York Yankees baseball team and the Major League Soccer (MLS) club, New York City.

The win came after Liverpool beat Sunderland 4-2 in Nashville last Saturday in Iraola’s first game since the former Bournemouth manager replaced the sacked Arne Slot.

However, the victory was marred by an injury to defender Joe Gomez, who was among the players not fielded against Wrexham, in addition to new player Jeremy Jacquet and players who played at the World Cup, namely Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

Before the match, Iraola announced that Gravenberch (Netherlands), Wirtz (Germany) and Isak (Sweden) may return to action in the final match of the United States tour against Leeds at Soldier Field Stadium, Chicago, this Sunday.

Wrexham, who have improved significantly in recent years under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, failed to qualify for the Championship play-offs on the final day of last season.

Phil Parkinson’s squad arrived at Yankee Stadium after recording pre-season victories over Manchester United and Leeds.