Jose Mourinho claims Arsenal won't win 2023-24 Premier League title | OneFootball

Highlights

José Mourinho has weighed in with his thoughts on the 2023-24 Premier League title race. The AS Roma manager has caused a stir by ruling Arsenal out of the race completely despite the Gunners sitting top of the table.

It may not come as a shock to many due to the fact the Portuguese boss has taken the reins of Arsenal's fiercest rivals, Chelsea and Tottenham, in the past. Who could forget the famous rivalry he held with Arsène Wenger for many years? Mourinho once referred to the iconic French manager as a "specialist in failure".

Mikel Arteta has Arsenal fans dreaming once more after the north London club fell just short of winning the 2022-23 Premier League trophy despite spending 248 days at the summit of the division. Manchester City have become veterans in making a late title charge and getting over the line when all the pressure is on them. Pep Guardiola's men will be at least six points off the pace by the time Christmas 2023 comes around, as the Citizens are competing in the Club World Cup.

This has left the door open for Arsenal and Liverpool to make their case to become champions. The two sides meet on December 23, with the winners gaining the edge in the race to glory. Even with this being said, Mourinho appears to remain unconvinced by the team that haven't won a league title since 2004.

José Mourinho's Premier League title prediction

The ex-Chelsea boss believes Man City are still the favourites to lift the trophy

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast - which is hosted by former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel - Mourinho was questioned on which of the three sides he felt was most likely to win the English top flight. The 60-year-old stated he believed it was a two-horse race as he answered: "Man City 51% [chance of winning the league] and Liverpool 49% [chance of winning the league]."

The elephant in the room was brought up by Mikel's co-host, as he questioned Mourinho: "No Arsenal?". To which the former Spurs boss was very dismissive as he responded with a blunt: "Nah."

Laughter from the two hosts followed along with a trademark cheeky smile on the face of 'The Special One'. It could be safe to assume that he was making a tongue-in-cheek comment in order to get some attention and wind up some Arsenal fans along the way, and that has probably been a successful mission if so. Watch the clip below:

The Premier League title race

Clubs in contention: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, and Aston Villa

One club that didn't even get a mention were the side that sit in third place, ahead of the current champions, Aston Villa. Unai Emery's team beat Arsenal and Man City in the space of a week in December to propel themselves into the race, but many are still writing the Villans off.

Liverpool and Arsenal go head-to-head at Anfield on December 23, with the winner set to spend Christmas at the top of the table. Manchester City have hit a rough patch of form, having only won one of their previous six league games. Mourinho believes it to be between the two teams with recent experience of lifting the Premier League, but four teams look to be in with a shout.