Manchester City star Kyle Walker explains why he doesn't want Arsenal to win the Premier League
Manchester City star Kyle Walker has claimed that he does not want Arsenal to win the Premier League title because of his past association with Tottenham Hotspur.
The England international spent eight years on the Lilywhites' books, making 227 senior appearances. His current team, meanwhile, are in a three-way title race with Liverpool and Arsenal.
When asked to reflect on the race for the biggest piece of silverware in English football, Walker admitted that he would rather see Liverpool win it than the Gunners.
The 33-year-old acknowledged the progress the north London giants have made under Mikel Arteta, who previously served as Pep Guardiola's assistant manager at Manchester City.
In a recent episode of Vibe with Five on YouTube (via The Athletic), Walker was asked to give his thoughts on this season's title race by Rio Ferdinand. He replied:
“It is so hard. I don’t want Arsenal to win, because of Tottenham. I think that they (Arsenal) have our assistant coach (Arteta) as their manager. You’ve got (Oleksandr) Zinchenko, who I think is a very big part of it, and Gabriel Jesus. But, I will give them credit. They are a very good team now.”
Walker came through the youth ranks of Sheffield United but made his name at Tottenham Hotspur, where he served between 2009 and 2017. The pacey full-back joined Manchester City in 2017, where he has since won 16 trophies including five Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal reportedly looking to part ways with out-of-favor star
Arsenal are reportedly ready to part ways with goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, as per the Telegraph (via The Boot Room). The Gunners are understood to be happy to recoup the £24 million fee they paid Sheffield United to rope in the England international.
Ramsdale has fallen down Mikel Arteta's pecking order following the signing of David Raya on loan from Brentford last summer. The 25-year-old Englishman has made just 10 appearances across competitions this season, having conceded 11 goals and kept three clean sheets.
It looks highly likely that the Gunners will exercise their option to make Raya's deal permanent for £27 million. Ramsdale joined the north London giants in 2021 from Sheffield United and was named in the 'PFA Team of the Year' for his exceptional 2022-23 season.