Jamie Carragher has made his view on the title race clear: Manchester City, not Chelsea, are the side he sees as most capable of taking it from Arsenal. Premier League clubs broke the all-time summer transfer record for the second successive season, with spending reaching £3.46bn, and Manchester City were the biggest spenders with almost £400m splashed out on new signings.

Carragher said, speaking to Metro, that City "look a lot stronger now" and added: "I would say they’re going to be the biggest challenges to Arsenal right now." He also said they give themselves "the greatest chance of being the main challengers and maybe the only team who can really wrestle this title from Arsenal."

Manchester City's summer rebuild

City's spending spree has not been subtle, and that is the part Carragher is leaning on. They finished second last season with 78 points, behind Arsenal's 85, so they were already the nearest challenger before the market opened.

Carragher also pointed to City midfielder Enzo Fernández, saying: "But they’re losing Enzo Fernandez, who, for me has been one of the big players for Chelsea." On that point, the move is less settled. The source article presents him in the context of a £125m transfer, but that deal is not independently verified here, so the safer reading is Carragher's opinion on the loss rather than a confirmed club switch.

Why Chelsea's case has weakened

Chelsea had been spoken about as dark horses, and Carragher acknowledged that view when he said: "Myself and plenty of others have felt Chelsea will have a really good season." But he now thinks the loss of Fernández leaves them short of the level needed to match City or Arsenal.

Chelsea finished 10th last season on 52 points, a long way from Arsenal's title pace and still a gap from City even before this summer's turnover. They return to Premier League action on Sunday with a trip to reigning champions Arsenal, a fixture that will say more about their current level than any pre-season prediction.

Manchester City may still need to prove Carragher right, but his argument is narrow and specific: Arsenal are the team to catch, City look best placed to do it, and Chelsea have more ground to make up after losing Fernández.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →