David James backs Manchester City to outclass 'favourites' Arsenal in Premier League title race

Ex-England goalkeeper and Premier League great David James has backed his former club Manchester City to outclass season favourites Arsenal in the title race. Even though Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal leads City by three points following a thunderous start to the season as defending champions, James has put his weight behind the struggling City side to reclaim the throne despite off-field issues related to Premier League financial breaches.

The 2026-27 Premier League title race is shaping up to be another closely fought contest, with Manchester City and Arsenal emerging as leading contenders. While the Gunners sit at the top of the PL table with 24 points after nine matches thus far this season, City are second with 21 points, having lost one more game than their rivals.

“Arsenal are the favourites to lift the Premier League title this year after their success last season,” James said while speaking on JioHotstar. “They are displaying a serious and beautiful brand of football, and they have lost just one game so far. They even defeated Liverpool at Anfield and didn't even give them the chance to score, which says a lot about how Mikel Arteta has built this Arsenal side.”

While he acknowledged Arsenal’s consistency of keeping their basics right, Manchester City’s sudden dip following a stellar start to the season surprised him.

“They seem to be doing the basics right at this early stage rather than trying to do too much. But Manchester City have surprised me. They were on a seven-match unbeaten streak, and then suddenly, they lost two games on the trot. That kind of dip is unlike them.

“But I feel it's too early to rule them out as the Premier League challengers to Arsenal. Still, one of these two clubs will be lifting the trophy. And because I have played for the blue side of Manchester, I'm rooting for Manchester City, and I really hope that they can, with Erling Haaland, get the deal done this year and get back to the trophy-winning ways," James added.

The former PL goalkeeper believes that the Premier League title race has become increasingly competitive, leaving no room for error.

“The pre-2000s era was essentially a watershed moment for the Premier League. Pre-2000, you could lose eight or nine games and still win the league title comfortably. And then from 2000-2001 onwards, teams changed the way they wanted to become champions.

“In the 2015-16 season, when Leicester City lifted the Premier League trophy, they topped the points table with 81 points. However, in recent years, the trophy-winning points margin has changed massively,” he added.