Heartbreak for Arsenal supporters as The Times give title to Man City, Forest and Southampton to be relegated

Following the first round of fixtures after the World Cup, The Times of London football experts pick their champions, assess the relegation candidates and pick one transfer they want to see happen in January

Who will win the title?

Paul Joyce: Arsenal remain impressively consistent. Mikel Arteta’s experience of being assistant to Pep Guardiola when Manchester City won the title will help Arsenal over the coming months. However, as long as Kevin De Bruyne stays fit, City remain favourites.

Paul Hirst: City. Erling Haaland has benefited from a month off and De Bruyne has rediscovered his best form since returning from Qatar. Fatigue shouldn’t be an issue as City’s players are fit and Guardiola is rotating more often. He will also give more minutes to Rico Lewis and Cole Palmer in the second half of the season.

Tom Roddy: City. Despite the remarkable improvement and form of Arsenal in the past year, heavy question marks hang over whether it can be maintained after the end-of-season collapse in the last campaign. Gabriel Jesus’s injury is a significant loss but also a sizeable test for Arsenal’s title credentials. As is January, with Newcastle United, a north London derby and Manchester United on the horizon. There’s also the small matter of Haaland’s goalscoring ability at City.

Gregor Robertson: City. Guardiola has the strongest and deepest squad at his disposal since he joined the club and City always produce an extraordinary run when they need it. A dozen or more straight wins after the turn of the year have become common practice.

Alyson Rudd: City. They are the team best placed to absorb any fatigue and assuming Haaland stays fit have a striker so deadly the team can afford for levels overall to dip.

Martin Hardy: City, but only just. Having 16 players at the World Cup could impact them but the one who wasn’t there, Haaland, will see them over the line. Arsenal’s start is one of the eight best in the history of the English top flight. Only one, Manchester United in 1986, didn’t go on to win the title, so it will be close.

Charlotte Duncker: City. Arsenal have shown they are up for the fight but when it comes to experience of knowing how to get over the line in a title race City just have that nous that Arteta’s side do not.

Hamzah Khalique-Loonat: As the league campaign rolls on, the headwinds grow stronger. Like a motorcar accelerating along the track, each extra click on the speedometer requires more energy than the last. The experience of battling through these headwinds and pushing beyond 90 points is invaluable and just another advantage City have over Arsenal.

Which transfer would you most like to see happen in January?

Joyce: Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk to Arsenal would be an exciting addition for a team looking to fend off City and remain at the summit of the Premier League table.

Roddy: Josko Gvardiol. Defenders rarely light up leagues in the same way as attackers but, in an age when defending is not the primary focus of coaching, Gvardiol would be an outstanding addition to the Premier League.

Hirst: Enzo Fernández, the dynamic, tireless holding midfielder, could leave Benfica for Chelsea. The turning point in Argentina’s World Cup campaign came when Fernández came off the bench to inspire the team to victory against Poland in their second group game. The 21-year-old dictated Argentina’s tempo for the rest of the tournament and rarely lost the ball.

Robertson: Ben Brereton Díaz has scored 31 Championship goals since the start of last season and I think the Blackburn Rovers forward would improve any side in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Rudd: Yunus Musah was part of a USA team at the World Cup which impressed with its wholehearted commitment and athleticism. The 20-year-old Valencia midfielder has been linked with a move to Liverpool who badly need an injection of youth and energy in the middle of the pitch and the signs are that Musah could come to flourish in the Premier League.

Hardy: If Newcastle could land the Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (six goals and five assists in Serie A already this term) in January that would really make the top of the table interesting. Plenty of teams could do with Morocco’s dynamic holding midfielder Soyfan Amrabat, including Tottenham and Chelsea.

Duncker: Jude Bellingham to the Premier League. He is not likely to leave Borussia Dortmund in this window but the skill he showed in the World Cup would brighten up the league on a weekly basis. Liverpool are front runners but he could have a transformative effect if he went to Old Trafford and Erik ten Hag is understood to be an admirer of the teenager.

Khalique-Loonat: João Félix at Arsenal. Though he has not quite seized the world’s attention as he intimated he might when he joined Atletico, Félix is still only 23 and more than promising enough to gamble on.

Who will be relegated?

Joyce: Nottingham Forest and Southampton lack quality and are susceptible to the drop. Then, it is one of Bournemouth, Leeds United, West Ham United, Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. West Ham have a manager in David Moyes who has mapped a route to safety previously and have good players. Everton feel vulnerable as they do not score enough goals. Frank Lampard needs further support in the transfer market to remedy that shortcoming.

Hirst: Southampton, Forest and Bournemouth. Southampton are too easy to break down. Forest don’t have enough goals in their team and made too many changes in the summer. Unless Bournemouth rack up a few wins soon, they will be sucked into the bottom three and have consecutive matches against City, Arsenal and Liverpool at the end of February.

Roddy: Forest, Southampton and Bournemouth. All three experienced significant change and uncertainty over the course of the last year. This is far from unique in professional football but that — alongside squads, for Southampton and Bournemouth, that lack the strength for the division — will make it a real challenge to remain. Nathan Jones faces the tall task of lifting Southampton off the bottom of the table in his first Premier League job, with a team that historically relies too heavily upon James Ward-Prowse. While Bournemouth are similar with Gary O’Neil in his first job as a manager, Forest are different. They have a highly qualified coach and impressive players but whether they can be moulded into an effective force is questionable. I fear for Leeds United and Everton, too.

Robertson: Forest, Everton and Southampton, in that order. An improved Forest have belatedly alighted upon a system that provides a solid platform, but they are still unconvincing in both boxes. Everton are skint but need to sign a striker in January or they are doomed. Southampton’s recruitment model has left them with the youngest team in the league, a rookie goalkeeper, rookie defence and, after Nathan Jones’ appointment, a rookie manager at Premier League level. Too much to ask.

Rudd: There is much to commend Forest on, not least their amazing home support, but they are far too inconsistent and have failed to settle into any kind of rhythm. Everton feel on the brink of disaster, the sort of disaster that only befalls clubs of stature in that they are ill equipped to deal with ignominy. The Goodison crowd appear to be on the brink of turning sour again. Bournemouth have worked a minor miracle since the sacking of Scott Parker but as the season progresses, their lack of quality in depth might take its toll.

Hardy: Southampton, Bournemouth and Wolves. Southampton are porous at the back and predictable up front, Bournemouth cannot see games out and look weaker after the break and Wolves lack the firepower to stay in the division.

Duncker: Forest, Everton and Bournemouth. Forest have shown glimpses that they’re capable of competing in the top flight but time could eventually run out for them. Bournemouth’s good win against Everton just before the break looked like it could be the turning point of their season after a run of terrible results. But defeat by Chelsea means they’re hovering just above the relegation zone.

Khalique-Loonat: Southampton, Bournemouth and Forest. Southampton are not as bad as their results have shown but are in trouble. However, a couple of wins from their next three league matches against Fulham, Forest and Everton (who themselves are treading dangerous waters) could flip expectations. Forest and Bournemouth have struggled — expect the latter to slide back down the table.

Who will finish in the top four?

Joyce: After City and Arsenal it is so difficult to predict with 23 games remaining for many teams. Newcastle have lost just once all season. Tottenham’s attack and the presence of Antonio Conte gives them an edge but Liverpool could go on a long unbeaten run. For all the focus on Liverpool’s attacking options after the arrival of Cody Gakpo, keeping Thiago Alcântara and Ibrahima Konaté fit will be just as important for Jürgen Klopp.

Hirst: City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool. Newcastle should fall away and I’m not convinced about Tottenham’s staying power either. United are playing some excellent football and they’ve shown that they can win ugly too. Liverpool can’t play as badly as they did in the first half of the season and Gakpo’s arrival will help.

Roddy: City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle. Saudi money made Newcastle into a coming force for the future but Eddie Howe’s coaching has accelerated that. They show little signs of easing off, although they lack experience of a top-four race that will heat up towards the end of the season as Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea will surely provide pressure. I’ve a feeling, however, that the wheels could come off at Tottenham after the January transfer window if Antonio Conte is not satisfied with the business they have done.

Robertson: City, Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool, in that order. City and Arsenal will go toe-to-toe for the title; Newcastle have the benefit of no European football, the best defence in the league and growing belief and momentum; and Liverpool, who have underperformed, will pip Manchester United and Tottenham, whose progress appears fragile to me, to fourth.

Rudd: City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. City have the points and the class and Arsenal have the grit to at least maintain the aspiration to win the title so that they do not collapse when they are overtaken. Liverpool, revitalised by the signing of Gakpo, will put together a run to make up for lost ground. United have a new-found resilience and demanding manager and will overtake a Spurs team who keep conceding early goals.

Hardy: City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle, and in that order. Arsenal will keep beating teams with their passing and pressing and Liverpool and Newcastle, two teams with a growing rivalry, will battle it out to join them in the Champions League.

Duncker: City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle. Manchester United have improved under Ten Hag and if they can get another forward in the January window that should be enough to ensure they finish in the top four. Newcastle are being talked about in the title race after their win at Leicester and while it is probably a step too far for now they have shown a consistency which should help them land a Champions League spot.

Khalique-Loonat: City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool. The top two look a certainty. That leaves Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea to take the remaining spots. A lack of experience cost Arsenal in the run-in last season — Newcastle may experience something similar. Tottenham have struggled to impress and look tactically incoherent despite their comebacks. Meanwhile, Manchester United appear liberated without the burden of Cristiano Ronaldo, and surely Liverpool will rediscover their mean streak.

Who will be the unexpected star of the rest of the season?

Joyce: Lewis at City. The 18-year-old right back has delayed Kyle Walker’s return to the line-up with his maturity and understanding when it comes to moving from the full-back role and into central midfield to strengthen that area of the pitch. Look out also for Liverpool’s 17-year-old winger Ben Doak. It’s a young man’s game.

Hirst: Alejandro Garnacho at Manchester United. Garnacho is only 18 and he has had his disciplinary problems, but he is a fearless, direct winger who can conjure up a goal out of nowhere. The Argentinian already has two goals and two assists in ten appearances and could prove to be an important player off the bench against tiring full backs.

Roddy: Anthony Martial. All eyes will be focused on whether Marcus Rashford can become the main No 9 at Manchester United after Ronaldo’s departure but Ten Hag clearly has faith in Martial. He has always had the talent but lacked the application.

Robertson: Willian! (Keep your laughter down at the back, please.) Seriously, I think ninth-placed Fulham are one of the stories of the season and the 34-year-old former Chelsea winger, who looked a peculiar signing in the summer after disastrous spells with Arsenal and Corinthians, was in outstanding form in the weeks before the World Cup following his recovery from a calf injury. There’s life in the old dog yet, it seems.

Rudd: Mathias Jensen of Brentford and Denmark has shown glimpses of his undoubted class for both club and country but has just begun to be more influential in the smooth, hard-working team devised by Thomas Frank.

Hardy: Lewis, just 18 years old. Makes it look effortless. A real star in the making at City.

Duncker: Forest are in desperate need of some star power if they are to defy the odds and stay up and after a quiet start to the season Jesse Lingard has the potential to provide it.

Khalique-Loonat: Emiliano Buendía: The Argentinian made his international debut at the start of the year, but as Aston Villa’s form waned so too did his own — a consequence of the club signing Philippe Coutinho, whose profile demanded a place in the starting XI. However, Villa were fierce and brave against Liverpool on Monday and Buendía was key to that. Under Unai Emery’s guidance, he may shine again.

Which manager is most at risk of losing their job?

Joyce: The Boxing Day defeat to Wolves, the acerbic reaction of Everton supporters and the whims of the owner Farhad Moshiri means Lampard needs results to stave off the threat of relegation and steady his own prospects. The sale of Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur for £60 million in the summer to enable Everton to satisfy Premier League profit and sustainability continues to bite. It is no longer simply his goals that have not been replaced, but his personality and attitude on the pitch. He was instrumental in dragging the club to safety last season — which player is going to step up now?

Hirst: Lampard. Everton have been through a lot of managers over the past few years, so it would be disappointing to see another sacking, but the team are in dreadful form. They have won only one of their past nine matches and their next opponent is City.

Roddy: Moyes. Having experienced European football so recently — which was of course thanks to Moyes — a relegation fight is unpalatable for West Ham fans. He is three years into the job, a long tenure for a Premier League manager. Lampard is close behind.

Robertson: I will never be convinced that Steve Cooper’s job is safe until Forest climb out of the relegation zone. Evangelos Marinakis, the owner, is hot-headed and has dismissed five managers since he bought the club in 2017. Cooper’s new contract before the World Cup has not changed my view that Forest will not go down without making a change.

Rudd: In spite of signing a new three-year contract in October, Cooper will surely be at risk if Forest do not climb the table.

Hardy: Lampard. Four straight defeats, the annual unrest for the blue part of Merseyside and with a new ground being built, Everton simply cannot afford to be relegated.

Duncker: Moyes. West Ham are living a charmed life at the moment and the break does not appear to have changed their form.

Khalique-Loonat: Moyes — but undeservedly so! West Ham lost their fourth-consecutive match this weekend and have already lost ten matches in the league. Yet they have not played as poorly as those results would suggest and their underlying numbers are much more positive. Premier League owners are notoriously reactive and trigger-happy, but David Sullivan and David Gold should hold their nerve.