Ian Wright has identified Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham as potential dark horses to challenge Arsenal in the Premier League title race this season, with Chelsea’s lack of European football a key factor in his prediction.
Speaking to Metro, the Arsenal legend tipped Chelsea to vault back into contention under new manager Xabi Alonso, despite their tenth-place finish last season. Wright also highlighted Nottingham Forest’s appointment of Oliver Glasner and Tottenham’s one-game-a-week schedule as reasons they could surprise.
Arsenal’s title defence and transfer concerns
Wright’s comments come as Arsenal prepare to begin their title defence at home to newly-promoted Coventry City on Friday. The Gunners won the Community Shield against Manchester City last weekend, but Wright believes the squad still needs strengthening before the transfer window closes.
“Arsenal still have a lot of business to do and things have been slow up to this point,” Wright told Metro. He acknowledged the World Cup’s impact on the market but stressed the importance of a strong start: “As we know how important it is to start this league strong, the sooner those new players can come in, the better.”
Wright referenced Mikel Arteta’s comments after the Champions League final defeat about what was needed to reach the next level. “We heard what the manager said … so that’s what we are going to hold the club to,” he said. “The window of opportunity is now so I’m hopeful we end the window with a much stronger squad.”
New signings Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes are expected to feature against Coventry, but Wright wants more marquee arrivals.
Wright’s dark horses: Chelsea, Forest and Spurs
The summer has seen managerial changes across the “Big Six,” with Enzo Maresca at City, Xabi Alonso at Chelsea and Andoni Iraola at Liverpool, while Michael Carrick prepares for his first full season at Manchester United. Wright noted the uncertainty this creates: “City, Chelsea and Liverpool all have new managers, which makes all of them a bit unknown.”
Despite City’s transition—losing Bernardo Silva, Stones, Pep and Rodri—Wright still expects them to compete thanks to Erling Haaland: “But they have Haaland, and that’ll take you far regardless of other issues.”
On Chelsea, Wright said: “I fancy Chelsea to challenge if Alonso gets a good start and is able to make them more solid defensively. He’s brought in some experienced players, which they’ve needed for a while. I can see them getting into a good rhythm without European football.”
Wright also named Nottingham Forest as a surprise package: “I’ll have my eye on Nottingham Forest now that Oliver Glasner has come in. They have a lot of talent which they have held onto, Glasner is a very good coach, and they have made a couple of good signings.” He noted that European commitments could hinder Brighton, Bournemouth and Sunderland, giving Forest an advantage.
Tottenham also earned a mention: “Spurs also have one game a week and have made big improvements. They probably still need a goalscorer but I’d expect them to shoot up the league.”
Wright backs campaign to scrap shirt-off yellow cards
Wright was speaking after throwing his support behind Gillette’s campaign to stop footballers being booked for taking their shirt off in celebration. He recalled his favourite shirt-off moment: “I’d say the one when we played Aston Villa, with my ‘I love the lads’ t-shirt. Things were just starting to happen, we were making great moves as a team and I was having a great time with the boys; it was brilliant.”
He added: “Every time I see the picture I get the feeling of the dressing room and the joy we shared. Patrick was coming through, it was a great time.”
The campaign encourages fans to sign a petition at Gillette.co.uk to end the yellow-card rule for shirt-off celebrations.
