‘Blimey’ – pundit stunned by major Liverpool title advantage which Arsenal, Man City can’t match

Former Premier League title winner Chris Sutton has underlined the serious advantage Liverpool hold over Manchester City and Arsenal in this season’s race to be crowned English champions – while he has also piled praise on a talented star the pundit feels compares to one of the best in the world.

The Reds are just 10 games into a new era on Merseyside but, having won nine of those matches across all competitions, optimism is high that Arne Slot could potentially match the title-winning campaign his predecessor Jurgen Klopp enjoyed in 2020. And while it remains early days, the fact that Liverpool have been breached just twice in 830 minutes of league football this season gives another cause for optimism.

However, it is not all good news for Liverpool and the loss of Alisson Becker for a minimum of seven games owing to a hamstring injury sustained at Crystal Palace means they will have to turn to Caiomhin Kelleher once again.

Sutton, though, suggests that the Reds boast tremendous strength in depth throughout their squad and believes that is an advantage compared to both Manchester City and Arsenal.

Slot managed to rotate his squad for their win at Crystal Palace last time out with the likes of Wataru Endo, Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai and Andrew Robertson all left on the bench.

And now Sutton has been left somewhat stunned by the quality bench options at Slot’s disposal.

“I looked at the Liverpool bench at the weekend, and I know they made changes as well and rotated a little bit, and when I see Man City’s squad and a lot being made about Rodri’s injury, and they’re going to miss him of course, and you look at Arsenal and Arteta gives young players opportunities,” Sutton began on Radio 5 Live.

“But you look at Liverpool’s squad and think ‘Blimey’, that’s strong, that’s a deep squad that they’ve got. And they’re not going under the radar really, but I don’t think any of us really thought at the start of the season that Liverpool would be serious title contenders, and just at this moment in time, it’s a pretty impressive start from Slot.”

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What has Slot said about Liverpool’s start and title chances?

Slot himself is paying little attention to the plaudits coming his way and knows it still remains very early in his reign, and that there are likely to be many more twists and turns over the course of the season.

Liverpool resume their title ‘quest’ with a tricky fixture against in-form Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday week in what marks a tricky run of games for Slot’s side, with matches against RB Leipzig (Champions League), Arsenal, Brighton (home and away; one in the EFL Cup) and Bayer Leverkusen (Champions League) all before November 5 – a run of six games in 17 days.

Slot is adamant that it remains early days in his reign and that he wants to be remembered for what he has achieved in the long haul; not for a blistering start that quickly tailed off.

Speaking after the win over Palace, though, he told the media: “It definitely is [very satisfying].

“And it’s actually also quite special if you know how many great managers Liverpool had. But I also said last week I think that I hope they don’t only remember me in one, two, three, four, five years only for this.”

He added: “We are hoping to do more special things than this. And it also says the luck I had that I inherited a very good squad and very good staff to continue getting the results that Jurgen [Klopp] had here as well.”

Sutton, meanwhile, feels Liverpool have a real talent on their hands in Ibrahima Konate after news emerged this week that he was closing on on a new deal at Anfield.

And the BBC pundit feels he is already showing qualities that compare the player to formidable Reds captain Virgil van Dijk, who at 33 is now in the twilight of his career.

“I like the way he has taken his opportunities”, Sutton said of the France defender. “I have always thought that he has brilliant physical attributes that Van Dijk has.

“He has come into the fore and you can see the relationship and understanding getting stronger week in and week out.”

Liverpool closing on new Van Dijk deal / Slot keen to reunite with Benfica star

Meanwhile, we understand optimism is growing that the Reds can soon agree a new deal with Van Dijk.

The towering Dutchman is out of contract next summer and is eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas side from January 1 as things stand. However, after making clear his wish to commit to the Reds, sources have informed us that optimism is growing that a new deal can arranged soon.

Elsewhere, trusted journalist James Pearce has juiced speculation suggesting Trent Alexander-Arnold could be sold to Real Madrid in the January transfer window, claiming there is zero chance of that happening and amid reports suggesting the Spanish giants were prepared to offer a France star as part of a high-profile swap.

In terms of incomings, the Reds are being linked with a move for Benfica playmaker Orkun Kokcu amid claims a tempting price has been put on his head for a January transfer. The Turk is a player Slot knows well from his Feyenoord days.

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