5 dark horses for the 2017/18 Premier League title
With just seven weeks to go before the kick-off of the 2017/18 Premier League season, the talk is already beginning of who could be the possible title winners. The favourites are pretty obvious as champions Chelsea and contenders Manchester City have already been strengthening their squads, while Manchester United are rumoured to be ready to splash insane money on some of the world’s top talents once again in the summer.
But as Leicester City proved in 2015/16, the Premier League is massively unpredictable and so it could be anyone’s league. Sure, it might be unrealistic to take Rafa Benitez’s claim of Newcastle as title contenders seriously, but let’s look beyond the three favourites – these are the five dark horses to claim the Premier League title once May 2018 rolls around.
#1 Arsenal
The Gunners almost became a laughing stock at times last season, with their Champions League capitulation against Bayern Munich and then their first non-top four finish since 1995/96. Manager Arsene Wenger seemed under enormous pressure at times, but he’s since signed a contract extension until 2019.
So why could Arsenal be legitimate title contenders this season? A few reasons come to mind. Firstly, while some would argue, Wenger’s methods are past their prime, at least there’s no speculation around his future this time. That adds much-needed stability to the ship.
Secondly, they’ve already signed highly-rated Bosnian defender Sead Kolasinac from Schalke to shore up their defence, and they’re currently being heavily linked with French goal machine Alexandre Lacazette. Those two signings could fill a couple of glaring holes in Arsenal’s squad and if they do lose Alexis Sanchez, then the goals that Lacazette is likely to provide would make up for the.
Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, they don’t have the Champions League to distract them next season. While they are in the Europa League, which has sapped sides like Spurs in the past, Wenger may decide not to focus on that competition and go all-out for the Premier League. And it’s notable that Chelsea and Leicester – the last two sides to win the title – reached the pinnacle without Champions League football.
With a mix of talented young players like Rob Holding and veterans like Nacho Monreal, Arsenal could find themselves in another title fight come next season.