Joe Cole believes the outcome of the Premier League title race largely hinges on Manchester City’s appeal regarding their financial case. The former Chelsea midfielder suggests that Enzo Maresca’s side could overtake Arsenal if the decision against them is overturned or mitigated.
An independent commission previously found Manchester City guilty of over 100 breaches of financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
The club has appealed the ruling, citing serious errors in the commission's conclusions and maintaining that they possess evidence to support their claims.
As of now, there is no final decision on the appeal.
Since the initial verdict, City have lost two out of five matches, including a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Despite this, Maresca's team currently shares top spot with Arsenal after eight games.
Both clubs have identical records.
Joe Cole had already declared City as his pre-season favourites, and he still stands by that assessment—albeit with a crucial caveat.
He stated:
It might be Arsenal.
But if Manchester City's lawyers do their job, then City will win the league.
Right now, the lawyers are the most important people in this whole story.
If not, then Arsenal are the ones who will be aiming to keep ahead of everyone else.
This means Cole directly links Maresca’s team’s title chances to the potential outcomes of the financial proceedings.
If the appeal does not change the scenario, he views Arsenal as the main contenders for a second consecutive title.
A similar stance is held by Jamie Carragher.
The former Liverpool defender believes that Arteta's side is currently the most stable contender, despite some concerns over their attacking play.
He noted:
We’ve already said Arsenal are not the most glamorous champions we’ve ever seen.
They still lack that star quality in the final third, and they didn’t get the superstar they wanted in the summer.
Carragher reminded that Arsenal attempted to bolster their attack with Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez, but neither of those deals came to fruition.
They really do lack firepower up front.
Some might also say that Mikel Arteta is holding them back a bit as he places significant emphasis on defence.
Nevertheless, the former Liverpool defender praised the depth of the current champions’ squad.
They have the best squad in the country and the best starting XI.
I think only Manchester City can genuinely compete with them.
Carragher added that the uncertainty surrounding the Manchester club means definitive conclusions cannot yet be drawn.
For me, Arsenal are still the team to stop.
We don’t know what will happen with City, so right now we can only assess the current situation.
In the next round, Arsenal will visit Liverpool, while Manchester City will host a resurgent Brighton.
