Theo Walcott's Bold Prediction for Liverpool: Unpredictable Title Challengers

Theo Walcott has nailed Liverpool with one word: unpredictable.

As the Premier League season looms, the former Arsenal forward admits he can’t get a firm read on Andoni Iraola’s side, yet he still sees them as the team most likely to chase down Mikel Arteta’s champions.

Walcott’s bold call on Liverpool

Liverpool’s summer has been a mixed bag. Three wins, a draw and two defeats in pre-season have offered flashes of promise and moments of concern, without ever settling the argument over where this team really stands.

They travel to Newcastle on Sunday to kick off Iraola’s first full campaign, still carrying the scars of a miserable 2025/26 in which they slumped to fifth and surrendered their title with barely a whimper. The transfer window has hardly soothed any nerves either, with business quieter than many expected for a squad that looked in need of a jolt.

Yet Walcott is looking up, not down.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the 37-year-old said: “Liverpool are probably the hardest team to call. Iraola is an excellent manager and if Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have big seasons, they could absolutely push Arsenal for the title.”

No hedging there. Walcott has Liverpool finishing second, behind his former club Arsenal, with Manchester City and Chelsea rounding out his top four.

A team nobody can quite pin down

That bullish forecast underlines just how divisive Liverpool have become. Some pundits, like Paul Merson, are right there with Walcott and see a genuine resurgence, strong enough for second place. Others, like Steve Nicol, are far more sceptical and doubt Iraola will even guide them into the top six.

The truth probably lies somewhere between those poles.

This Liverpool side has shown, in short bursts under Iraola during pre-season, that it can be breathtaking going forward. The attacking patterns look sharp, the tempo high, the movement relentless. On their day, they look capable of blowing teams away.

But the old frailties haven’t vanished. They still look open on the counterattack, still concede too many chances from set pieces, still give opponents encouragement when games should be dead. The chaos that once felt like a weapon can just as easily turn into a liability over a long, grinding season.

It all evokes memories of the Brendan Rodgers years or the early months under Jurgen Klopp – wild, thrilling, and utterly exhausting. A team that can score three in 20 minutes, then concede two from nowhere. Brilliant in flashes, but not yet built for the cold, ruthless consistency that wins titles.

Iraola’s task and the season ahead

If nothing else, Iraola’s Liverpool should be far more watchable than the side that limped through Arne Slot’s grim second season. The football already looks more ambitious, more front-foot, more in tune with the club’s attacking DNA.

There is still time, too, for late transfer moves to change the picture. Any smart additions in key areas could stiffen a soft underbelly and turn that attacking flair into something more sustainable.

For now, the mood around Anfield sits somewhere between hope and caution. There’s a belief that last season’s fifth place can be bettered, but less conviction that a full-scale title charge is realistic over 38 games.

Walcott is convinced Liverpool can be Arsenal’s main threat. Over the next nine months, Iraola has to prove whether that faith is sharp insight – or a romantic punt on the league’s most enigmatic heavyweight.