Former Everton and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has made a bold prediction about Liverpool's prospects in the upcoming Premier League season.
Rooney believes that Liverpool will bounce back from their disappointing fifth-placed finish last season and be a strong contender for the title.
Manchester City clinched the Premier League title for the fifth time in six years, overtaking an Arsenal team that had led the English top flight for a significant portion of the campaign. In response to their setback, the Gunners have made significant investments in the transfer market, spending over $258m (£200m/€230m) on new signings such as Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber.
READ MORE: Joshua Kimmich comments on Jürgen Klopp could hand Liverpool reason to seal perfect match
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news as $51m move 'approved' and Harry Kane could aid Jürgen Klopp plan
The club is also rumored to be in the race to sign Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia, who is on Liverpool's radar as well (as per Fabrizio Romano). This competition for midfield talent comes at a time when Liverpool is facing the possibility of losing Fabinho to a $52m (£40m/€46m) bid from Saudi Pro League Al-Ittihad.
Liverpool's summer transfer plans have been disrupted by the Fabinho situation, but it has still managed to secure two key signings. The Reds completed a $123m (£95m/€109m) double deal for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, aiming to improve on their disappointing fifth-place finish last season.
It was the first time under Jürgen Klopp's management that Liverpool finished outside the top four but Rooney is optimistic about their chances in the upcoming season.
DC United boss Rooney's comments came ahead of his managerial role in the MLS All-Stars match against Arsenal, where he also praised the Gunners and their signings this summer.
If you enjoyed this piece, you'll love our Liverpool.com newsletter — every weekday, we send exclusive, bonus content only to people signed up for our mailing list!
Our newsletter subscribers get a rundown Monday to Friday from one of the best Liverpool FC writers — straight to your inbox, and completely for free.
Wherever you are in the world — in the US, the UK or further afield — you don't want to miss out.
Sign up to the Liverpool.com newsletter here — it only takes a few seconds!
“I thought they had a fantastic season last year and I thought it was a huge step for Arsenal," he said. "I think the signings that they have made are really good signings to try and kick on by challenging Manchester City because they will be the favourites again to win the Premier League.
“I think Liverpool will be better next season. Chelsea will be better. Hopefully, Manchester United will be better as well. But I think Arsenal have made some really good signings and I think they will compete again.”
You may notice the below message on a small number of Liverpool.com articles. We like to innovate and this is part of a trial to look at whether AI can help speed up the publishing process. We will always declare where this happens.
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, based on a piece first written by Paul Wheelock for the Liverpool ECHO. You can read the original piece by clicking here. A Liverpool.com news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].
