Wayne Rooney Backs Arsenal to Win Premier League Title Despite Manchester City’s Resurgence

Wayne Rooney has backed Arsenal to finish the 2025/26 Premier League season as champions, insisting the Gunners hold enough of an advantage over Manchester City to see out the title race — provided results go to form.

Speaking on Match of the Day, the former Manchester United and England striker assessed the final stretch of the campaign with three matches remaining for both clubs. At the time of his comments, Arsenal led City by two points following City’s victory over Brentford, a result that had tightened what had been a more comfortable gap at the top of the table.

“City just have to keep winning their games,” Rooney said. “I actually thought they might drop points against Everton, but now I think both teams will win every game from here.”

Despite acknowledging City’s momentum, Rooney maintained that the mathematics still favour Arsenal. “If both teams win all their remaining matches, Arsenal become champions,” he added.

Under that scenario, Arsenal would accumulate 85 points by the end of the season, with City finishing on 83 — leaving the north London club two points clear at the summit.

Should that outcome materialise, it would represent Arsenal’s first top-flight league championship since the 2003/04 Invincibles season under Arsène Wenger — a wait of more than two decades. It would also mark a defining moment in manager Mikel Arteta‘s tenure at the club, having come close to ending that drought in previous campaigns.

Rooney’s assessment comes amid a broader pattern of the former England captain weighing in on Arsenal’s title credentials this season. He had previously picked a Champions League finalist and also publicly commented on Arsenal’s celebratory scenes following a UCL result, drawing a response from former Gunners striker Ian Wright.

With the Premier League title race entering its final stages, Arsenal’s remaining fixtures and City’s ability to maintain their winning run will determine whether Rooney’s prediction proves accurate. Both clubs are expected to be without margin for error, with any dropped points likely to prove decisive.