Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher don’t always see eye to eye… but the two Sky Sports pundits are united in their belief that Liverpool – even with Alexander Isak joining their ranks – will find it tough to dominate the Premier League this campaign.
The Reds claimed the championship with ease last term, wrapping up the season a commanding 10 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal. Following that triumph, Arne Slot and his scouting network have invested approximately £300m in fresh talent, with Isak remaining high on the club’s wishlist.
However, both Neville and Carragher maintain that even securing the brilliant Swede’s signature won’t hand the Reds the crown on a silver platter.
“Liverpool won it really comfortably last year and have had a great transfer window,” Neville said at the launch of Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage.
“If they get Isak, which it looks like he’s agitating for a move, then it will make them massive favourites. But Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, I think will push them closer than last year.”
Carragher, questioned about whether Isak will pitch up at Anfield, added: “Yeah, I think so, but I don’t get this narrative of Liverpool are going to run away with it.”
He went on: “If you look at history, it could tell you that it’s not just about having the best players, it’s about having the best team, and sort of making that balance right, and at the weekend [vs Crystal Palace] it didn’t quite look right.”
However, it is Neville’s final observation that resonates most strongly from a Newcastle standpoint.
Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea are all perfectly positioned to mount a stronger challenge to Liverpool this campaign following their summer recruitment drives.
City completed their transfer business swiftly and are now finding new destinations for players like Savinho and Jack Grealish, the Gunners have secured one of Europe’s most coveted strikers for their squad, and Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea have already beaten United to several summer targets.
Meanwhile, the Magpies, who harbour their own lofty ambitions of becoming title challengers, could find themselves compelled to strengthen the squad of the reigning champions – a direct competitor no less – whilst simultaneously depleting their own ranks as the summer window nears its conclusion.
Eddie Howe, the hierarchy, the players and the supporters can all nurture dreams of hoisting the Premier League trophy someday, but following a succession of disappointing transfer windows recently, European qualification remains the most realistic objective as the new campaign approaches.
Yet Newcastle certainly aspire to reach that level eventually.
Nevertheless, this summer, despite securing Anthony Elanga, Aaron Ramsdale, Malick Thiaw, and pursuing promising attacking and midfield reinforcements in the window’s closing stages, Newcastle may conclude the transfer period by doing precisely what Howe has sought to avoid in recent campaigns.
“We want to keep our best players. I think I’ve made that very clear,” the Newcastle manager declared at the summer’s outset. “That’s not just the wish from me, that’s the wish from everyone at the club. I don’t have a crystal ball.
“I can’t sit here and say what’s going to happen. I can only say what my determination is and it is to build a team, the best team possible and to do that you can’t consistently lose your best players.”
Isak remains a Newcastle player and could yet stay on Tyneside. The upcoming weeks will undoubtedly influence whether United can keep pace with their nearest competitors in the forthcoming season.
