Gary Neville in remarkable U-turn on Liverpool title chances as he reviews Arsenal, Man City hopes

Gary Neville remains adamant that Liverpool still cannot win the Premier League title this season after altering his pick on first, second and third – but has been forced to admit that he got it badly wrong in his pre-season prediction for Arne Slot’s side.

The Dutchman was ushered in on Merseyside as the replacement for iconic manager Jurgen Klopp, who parted ways with the Reds after close to nine glorious years at the helm earlier this year. And while many predicted Slot would find it difficult to step into the shoes of such a charismatic Liverpool manager, the opposite has in fact been true with the 46-year-old winning an incredible 14 of their 16 matches so far across all competitions.

That leaves Liverpool top of the Champions League group with a 100% record from four games, as well as two points clear at the Premier League summit – leaving supporters dreaming of glory this season.

While Neville refuses to accept Liverpool can still win the Premier League title this season, he has admitted he may have called it wrong over the summer when suggesting Slot would need time to work his magic on Merseyside.

“I think it’s been an unbelievable start for Arne Slot, he could never have imagined that it would have gone as well as it has,” Neville told the ‘It’s Called Soccer!‘ podcast, before adding: “I never change my predictions at this stage of the season.

“My predictions were that Liverpool wouldn’t even be in the top four.

“That has to change because they’ve done a far better job of settling Arne Slot in than I imagined and getting over the Jurgen Klopp exit. But I do think that City and Arsenal will hit their stride at some point and that they will hit their form. At that point, they will prove to still be the best two teams in the country.”

Turning his focus back to Liverpool, he added: “I don’t feel like I’m watching a champion team. However, if this is the real City and Arsenal that we are going to see all season and they’re going to be as inconsistent as they have been in these first 10 games, then we could end up with a shock. They’re the only other team that can win it, but I still think it’s an outside bet.”

READ MORE: Neville taunts Liverpool with big Alexander-Arnold transfer claim amid Real Madrid links

Liverpool finding a way to get the job done – Neville

Neville is adamant that no title judgements should really be made until January or February anyway with the tricky festive period often showing where sides are at as the games come thick and fast.

The Sky Sports pundit, however, has admitted he has been impressed by what he has seen from Liverpool so far, acknowledging that the Merseysiders have picked up that golden habit of finding a way to win games even when not at their best.

He added: “There is part of me that still wants to get to January, February. Part of me still wants to see that end of the first round of games. Part of me thinks in the games that I’ve particularly watched them… they were really good at Old Trafford (when Liverpool won 3-0), I thought they were fantastic in that game, but when I watched them at Wolves, the Chelsea game, I wasn’t wholly convinced.

“But they got the job done, just like they did against Brighton on Saturday, so they’re getting the job done in certain games. But I don’t feel like I’m watching a champion team…”

Latest Liverpool news: Bid made for Real Madrid star / Reds go for a Brazilian

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reportedly hurtling towards their first signing of the January transfer window with talks underway of a deal to bring in Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid, a Sky Sports reporter has revealed.

The Merseysiders missed out on the Frenchman in 2022 – but it could be a case of second time lucky with Slot eager to strike a deal and Los Blancos seemingly scapegoating the midfielder for their recent poor results.

Elsewhere, the Reds have also reportedly made enquiries for talented Vasco Da Gama teenage forward Rayan Vitor Simplicio – only to find out their approach may have come too late to prevent the 18-year-old from moving to another European giant.

The Brazilian talent was being viewed as a possible heir to Mo Salah amid growing fears he could depart next summer. And when it comes to Salah replacements, sporting director Richard Hughes is reported to have whittled down his list of tangible replacements for the Egyptian to just two names – with two £50m-rated Premier League stars now thought to be at the very top of Liverpool’s wishlist.

Liverpool’s start to life under Arne Slot