Walcott Predicts Liverpool as Arsenal's Main Threat in 2026/27
Theo Walcott has branded Liverpool “probably the hardest team to call” going into the new Premier League season – but he still expects them to come roaring back from last year’s disappointment.
Andoni Iraola’s first real test as Liverpool manager arrives on Sunday at Newcastle, with pre-season offering more questions than answers. Three wins, one draw and two defeats have painted an erratic picture of a side trying to shed the gloom of a miserable 2025/26 campaign.
Last season’s fifth-place finish, coupled with a quiet transfer window so far, has stripped away the aura that surrounded Liverpool a year ago when they kicked off as reigning champions. The bar is lower now. The doubts are louder.
Walcott tips Liverpool as Arsenal’s main threat
Walcott, though, sees danger in that uncertainty – especially for 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.”
No caveats. No top-four scramble talk. Walcott has Liverpool finishing second, directly behind Arsenal, with Manchester City and Chelsea rounding out his predicted top four.
His view hinges on two players in particular. If Isak and Wirtz hit their stride and stay there, he believes Liverpool can become Arsenal’s closest pursuers in the 2026/27 title race.
A team nobody can quite pin down
That bullish forecast underlines how enigmatic Liverpool feel right now. Pundits are split, and not by small margins.
Paul Merson has gone the same way as Walcott, backing Iraola’s side to finish runners-up. At the other end of the spectrum, former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol fears they might not even crack the top six by season’s end.
The truth probably lies somewhere between those poles. A step up from last season looks achievable. A sustained title charge looks far less so.
Pre-season has hinted at both the promise and the problems. Under Iraola, Liverpool have already shown flashes of thrilling, fluid attacking football – the kind that can rip opponents apart in 20 ruthless minutes. At the same time, old frailties have lingered: exposure on the counterattack, soft concessions from set pieces, spells where control simply vanishes.
It feels familiar. This version of Liverpool could easily resemble the Brendan Rodgers nearly-men or the early Jurgen Klopp sides – exhilarating when it all clicks, but too wild, too open, to grind out the relentless consistency a title race demands.
Chaos, excitement… and a lower ceiling?
If nothing else, Iraola’s Liverpool should be far easier on the eye than the side that laboured through Arne Slot’s grim second season. The football already looks braver, more front-foot, more willing to risk chaos for reward.
There is still time, too. The transfer window has days left, and any late reinforcements could sharpen the picture and lift the ceiling a little higher.
For now, cautious optimism feels like the sensible stance. Liverpool look poised to improve, to entertain, to shake off some of last season’s lethargy.
Just not quite with the conviction – or the ambition – that Theo Walcott is willing to put on the line.
