Former Chelsea player, John Obi Mikel, has identified Arsenal, the reigning champions, as the team to beat in this season’s Premier League.
The Gunners claimed the league title in the 2025-26 season, ending a 22-year drought for the Premier League trophy.
Mikel shared his insights during an episode of his ObiOne podcast, where he was prompted to discuss the team to watch in the forthcoming Premier League season.
He emphasized that Arsenal currently stands above all other teams, citing several reasons that distinguish them from the competition.
He said, “Wow, the team to beat? There are so many teams. The good thing that you can say about this season is it is absolutely wide open, absolutely f***ing wide open, apart from Arsenal. Apart from Arsenal… you can say [with Arsenal] that this is the team right now.
“They’re settled, they have a manager who has been there for so many years, he’s built a team and a squad that has gone on to win the Premier League. It doesn’t matter how they won it, they finally crossed the line.
“That’s what a lot of the Arsenal fans were saying: it doesn’t matter how we win it, let’s just cross the line and then we can talk about next season and how we want to play.”
The former Chelsea midfielder has seen the Blues make several additions to their roster following a 10th place finish in the Premier League during the 2025-26 season. The Blues, along with other teams in the league, will aspire to compete for silverware.
Mikel Arteta’s squad was the top team in the league last season and has seen their primary competitors, Manchester City and Liverpool, undergo coaching changes this summer.
The Gunners are favoured to maintain their supremacy in the league, having secured a top-two finish in each of the last four seasons.