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Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has backed Arsenal to retain the Premier League title, pointing to the club’s stability under Mikel Arteta and their strong squad depth.
Ferdinand noted on his YouTube channel that Arsenal enjoy a settled environment while rivals like Manchester City and Manchester United navigate major transitional periods.
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The addition of versatile defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa for £51 million provides crucial cover for injured defenders like William Saliba.
The Gunners opened their title defense with a solid 3-0 win against Coventry City, displaying the hard-to-beat traits of true champions.
‘It was what I expected from Arsenal,’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel when asked about their Premier League opener against Coventry.
‘Solid, hard to play against, shut down the opposition and then fed on some mistakes and punished them. They played like champions.
‘I don’t see anyone being able to challenge Arsenal this season. They’re the only team with stability. Everyone else has had big changes.
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‘Man City have lost their manager and the most important player in football [Barcelona summer signing Rodri] so I don’t see them challenging or being as close as they’ve been in recent years.
‘Liverpool and Chelsea have got new managers so there’s uncertainty there. Man United are still in a transition and a rebuild under a fairly new manager.
‘The experience Mikel Arteta has compared to the others is night and day. He knows how to win now as well.
‘Not many managers have won back-to-back Premier League titles but I think Mikel Arteta is going to join that club. I think this is going to be a period of dominance for Arsenal.’
