Jamie Carragher changes Premier League prediction with 'only team' who can top Arsenal

Manchester City secured the deadline day signing of Enzo Fernandez and Jamie Carragher has now backed them to be Arsenal's Premier League challengers

Jamie Carragher believes the signing of Enzo Fernandez has seen Manchester City leap ahead of Chelsea in the pecking order and become "the only team who can wrestle this title from Arsenal."

City spend a record fee to land Fernandez, who had been linked with a Stamford Bridge exit all summer, on deadline day. It completes a total reshuffle of their midfield with the talismanic Rodri leaving for Spain.

Elliot Anderson completed his move to Manchester during the World Cup and, after the tournament, City made Ayyoub Bouaddi the most expensive teenager in Premier League history when they signed him from Lille.

They've continued to be aggressive in the market and have now added the Argentine World Cup winner, who was keen to reunite with Enzo Maresca, who has just taken over at the Etihad. And Carragher now believes City could make a play at winning the title for the first time in three years.

Quizzed on whether Fernandez takes City closer to the summit he replied: "I think he does, certainly pushed them above Chelsea, and myself and plenty of others thought Chelsea would have a really good season. Some of that is off the back of not having European football and having a new manager. But losing Enzo Fernandez, who over the last two of three players, has been one of the big players for Chelsea.

"They've always had five or six top players but not a lot around that. They've now lost one of them - and he's gone to Man City. They look a lot stronger and they're going to be the biggest challengers to Arsenal now."

The loss of Rodri, who had been at the club since 2019, was massive. The Spaniard went on to become one of the pillars of their success, winning the Ballon d'Or while at the club.

After winning four Premier League titles and the Champions League he moved to Barcelona, but Carragher is impressed with how they've rebuilt the midfield.

He added: "It is a really good squad, there's been a lot of turnover over the last 12 months. Losing Rodri was really big thing and I thought it would be really difficult to recover from that. But if you said they'd bring in Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez you'd say that's a top midfield. I think that gives them the greatest chance, ahead of any other team, and maybe the only team who can wrestle this title from Arsenal."

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