Walcott Predicts Liverpool as Arsenal's Main Threat in Premier League

Theo Walcott has branded Liverpool “probably the hardest team to call” ahead of the new Premier League season – but he still expects them to come roaring back from last year’s disappointment.

Andoni Iraola’s side have stumbled and sparkled in equal measure over the summer. Three wins, one draw and two defeats in pre-season have offered flashes of what this new Liverpool might become, without giving anyone a clear read on where they truly stand as they prepare to open away at Newcastle on Sunday.

This is not the Liverpool of 12 months ago. Back then, they were reigning champions and walking into the campaign with a target on their backs. Now they arrive from a bruising fifth-place finish and a quiet transfer window that has cooled expectations around Anfield.

Walcott backs Liverpool as Arsenal’s main threat

Amid that uncertainty, Walcott has gone bold. He sees a side that, if it clicks, can chase down his old club.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the former Arsenal forward said: “Liverpool are probably the hardest team to call. Iraola is an excellent manager and if Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have big seasons, they could absolutely push Arsenal for the title.”

Walcott, now 37, has tipped Liverpool to finish second, behind Arsenal, with Manchester City and Chelsea rounding out his projected top four.

It’s a striking show of faith in a team that looked jaded and short of ideas for long stretches of last season.

An enigma that splits opinion

Walcott is far from alone in believing Liverpool can rebound, but the range of predictions around Iraola’s side underlines how enigmatic they’ve become.

Paul Merson has also gone for Liverpool to finish runners-up. At the other end of the spectrum, Steve Nicol has warned that Iraola’s men might not even crack the top six by the time May rolls around.

That gap tells its own story. No one quite knows which Liverpool will turn up over 38 games.

A more measured view places them somewhere between those extremes: better than last season’s fifth, but not yet built to sustain a serious title charge against a settled Arsenal or a relentless City.

Brilliant going forward, brittle at the back

Pre-season has offered a glimpse of the new identity Iraola is trying to stamp on this squad. When it works, Liverpool’s attacking play looks lavish. They move the ball quickly, flood forward in numbers and can overwhelm teams in short, devastating bursts.

But the cracks are obvious. They still look exposed on the counter, still concede from set pieces with alarming regularity. The chaos that once felt like a controlled weapon under peak Jurgen Klopp now threatens to become a structural flaw if not addressed.

There is a sense that this version of Liverpool could echo the Brendan Rodgers era or Klopp’s early months: irresistible on their best days, but far too volatile to rack up the relentless points total needed to wrestle the title away.

A step up from Slot – and room to grow

If nothing else, Iraola’s Liverpool should be far easier on the eye than the side that limped through Arne Slot’s miserable second season. The football already looks more adventurous, the risk-taking more deliberate.

There is still time, too. The window remains open for a few more days, and any late additions could sharpen the spine of a squad that feels a couple of key pieces short of the finished article.

So where does that leave Liverpool?

Cautious optimism feels about right. A team likely to climb from last year’s low, likely to thrill, likely to frustrate – but, in Walcott’s eyes at least, still dangerous enough to chase Arsenal all the way.