Jamie Redknapp believes Arsenal are about to run away with the Premier League title — and the only club he can see stopping them is Brighton.
Redknapp delivered his verdict on Sky Sports after a Saturday that swung the title race firmly Arsenal's way. The Gunners ground out a 1-0 win over Hull City at the Emirates, Martin Odegaard scoring the only goal midway through the second half, and a few hours later Manchester City slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest — their third straight league loss.
"I don't really see anything else other than Arsenal running away with this title at the moment," Redknapp said. "I know it's really early but I just think they're so much better than everyone else in every single area."
Then came the surprise pick. Asked who could challenge the champions, Redknapp did not name City, Liverpool or Chelsea. "That one today is a sore one, it gives you the feeling right now in terms of who can challenge Arsenal? I just don't see one. If you look at the league table, I think right now, probably the one you'd point to, and I never thought I'd say this at the start of the year, but it's Brighton." Football London carried the full quotes on Sunday morning.
Why Brighton? The case for the Seagulls
The table backs Redknapp up — up to a point. Brighton sit third on 19 points from nine matches, and a win over Brentford on Sunday afternoon would lift them above City into second, five points behind Arsenal.
They are also the only side to have beaten Arsenal all season, running out 3-0 winners earlier in the campaign. A week ago they beat City too, and they are the league's top scorers, with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace also beaten heavily at the Amex Stadium.
Fabian Hurzeler's squad is getting stronger as well. Kaoru Mitoma is close to a return, Yankuba Minteh is back in contention, Jack Hinshelwood has returned from injury, and young players such as Malick Yalcouye, Chem Andres and Costinha have emerged as key figures.
The one caveat is the Conference League. Thursday-Sunday turnarounds will test a squad that has so far been able to rotate through Europe's third competition, and the knockout stages next year will demand far more. For now, though, Brighton look like the one team with the form and the fearlessness to make Arsenal look over their shoulder.
Arsenal's champions' grind
Redknapp's confidence is built on more than one weekend. Arsenal have won nine of their opening ten league matches, taking 27 points, and have won five in a row. They have conceded just five goals in ten games, and their last two wins — 1-0 at Liverpool and 1-0 against Hull — were both ground out rather than won at a canter. Six of their nine wins this season have come by a single goal.
That resilience is the point. The champions are winning without playing their best football, and William Saliba is on his way back — Arteta plans to give him minutes with the under-21s on Sunday before he returns fully fit after the international break.
City, by contrast, look open in a way Redknapp says Arsenal never do. "They have got Saliba coming back, the players they've got defensively, you'd never see Arsenal look as open as we saw Manchester City look [against Forest]," he said, also noting that City are missing the injured Antoine Semenyo in the wide areas. City's three straight defeats have produced a nine-point swing in Arsenal's favour, and Steven Gerrard has reached a similar conclusion about the champions' ability to win difficult games in different ways. Sportskeeda reported the same quotes and the Saliba detail on Sunday morning.
So what: is the race really over in November?
November is far too early to hand out the trophy, and Redknapp's own caveat — "I know it's really early" — matters. City have recovered from difficult periods before, and Brighton face a much sterner test of their depth as the season wears on. Arsenal themselves know from previous title challenges how quickly momentum can change.
But the shape of the race has changed in a week. The international break now gives City time to regroup, while Brighton get the chance to back up Redknapp's prediction against Brentford on Sunday. A Seagulls win makes the gap five points and gives the title race a genuine second act. A defeat leaves Arsenal eight clear of their supposed nearest challengers, and the procession talk starts for real.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Redknapp is right that nobody looks equipped to catch Arsenal right now — but naming Brighton as the only challengers says as much about Manchester City's collapse as it does about the Seagulls. If Brighton beat Brentford today, this race has a real second act. If they don't, the gap is eight points and the coronation talk starts before Christmas. Do you agree with Redknapp — are Brighton Arsenal's only real rivals, or is it far too early to write off Manchester City? Let us know in the comments.
