Former Liverpool keeper David James tips Arsenal as shock contenders for Premier League title

Former Premier League veteran David James believes that Mikel Arteta's 'fantastic' Arsenal could emerge as the winners of the 2020/21 campaign.

The Englishman is evidently a fan of what new manager Arteta has built at the club and is a firm believer in their project. The Spaniard took over the reins from his compatriot Unai Emery towards the back end of last year and has impressed heavily in the little time that he's been given.

The Gunners opened their account in the new season with an impressive 3-0 win in the curtain-raiser for the 2020/21 Premier League season against Fulham.

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David James believes Arteta can take Arsenal 'all the way'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta

On Thursday, former England international David James spoke highly of Arteta's Arsenal when making his top four predictions for the upcoming season.

In fact, the 50-year-old claims that the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool will have to put up a monumental display to stop the Gunners from winning the league, potentially for the first time since over a decade and a half.

Speaking on his top four predictions for the campaign, James explained;

"I just think with Arsenal, what [Mikel] Arteta was doing, or trying to implement last season and they started doing, he's had more time to get his team working well. They looked fantastic against Fulham, arguably you would expect them to win."

16 - @Arsenal have won the #CommunityShield for the 16th time (including shared), second only to Manchester United (21). Sweet. #ARSLIV

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 29, 2020

The former City and Liverpool keeper continued,

"I think Arteta's got an opportunity with a gifted squad to go all the way. There's no reason why they can't do it [win the league], other than Manchester City and Liverpool reproducing the sort of form they've been doing over the last two years."

James expressed that he believes it's going to be a difficult task for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to retain their title, which he cited as another reason for Arsenal's potential success. He opined,

"As everyone knows, winning the league is not easy. Winning the league twice is very, very difficult. When Liverpool have had almost two perfect seasons, you wonder whether they can reproduce that. As a football follower I just like what Arteta's doing and I think they've got the chance."

1 - Mikel Arteta is the first person to win the FA Cup with Arsenal as both a captain and a manager. Leader. #FACupFinal #ARSCHE pic.twitter.com/RcP0MxYGPz

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 1, 2020

Arsenal have had an impressive summer window so far, having sealed the signatures of Premier League veteran Willian and promising LOSC Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes. The Brazilian pair had two very memorable debuts for the North London club as well.

Gabriel registered a clean sheet along with a debut goal from a corner, while Willian was chosen as the Man of the Match for an inspired display which included three assists.

They have also been boosted by the arrival of William Saliba, who saw out his loan spell at St. Etienne before returning to the Emirates Stadium.

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