‘Liverpool will win Premier League’: Richard Keys makes controversial top six predictions

Liverpool last won the league title in 1990 when Kenny Dalglish was at the Anfield helm.

But after a summer of spending – the Reds have splashed out £170million on fresh blood – Keys thinks they are set to win it again.

The former Sky Sports host has backed Liverpool to edge out Manchester City to the title – for he believes they will be concentrating more on the Champions League.

Keys thinks Spurs will finished third – despite ‘standing still’ this summer in the transfer market – with Manchester United coming home in fourth.

Chelsea, who will finish fifth, and Arsenal, sixth, make up Keys’ top six.

“If Liverpool don’t win the title with this squad they’ll never win it again. Jurgen Klopp now has all the tools he requires to end the long wait,” Keys wrote in his personal blog.

“I like what he’s been doing. In January and again this summer he addressed areas that Liverpool were desperately short in – centre back and goalkeeper. I said after their Champions League surrender that unless he got himself a good keeper he’d never win anything.

“I don’t mind at all that he’s been spending. You’ve got to spend, now more than ever before – and you can go all the way back to Sunderland’s ‘Bank of England’ team to find clubs that have ‘bought the title’. You have to. They all do.

“They were closer to City last year than any other side. As we saw – on their day they could be better. Now they’ve got to find the consistency to do it every weekend. And it’s got to be every weekend.

“Of course City will be most people’s favourites, but I believe their priority will be the Champions League. Pep Guardiola has spent a fortune piecing together this team and they blitzed the title last season. They were an absolute joy to watch, but he’s got to take it on.

“Winning another title wouldn’t do that. He’s got to win the Champions League, something that he has failed miserably to do since leaving Barcelona and critically – something he hasn’t done without Messi.”

Although Keys had less positive assessments on the rest of the challengers.

On Spurs, Keys said: “They haven’t added anything, so in effect Spurs have stood still. The huge debt for an over budget stadium might be the reason.”

While Keys believes ‘United have stood still as well’ and that unless things change, Jose Mourinho ‘could be gone by Christmas’.

As for Chelsea, Keys believes Gianfranco Zola could be the difference as he’s ‘a Chelsea man to the core’ but he was less positive on Maurizio Sarri.

Keys added: “He’ll help Sarri no end – but will Sarri help himself? ‘Sarri-ball’? There’s no such thing. Here’s somebody else trying to reinvent the game.

“Sarri’s big challenge is to try and persuade the PL’s most difficult dressing room to go with him on this next adventure at The Bridge. He’s never worked with such big players before. Keeping Hazard would be a huge lift for everybody – but can he? Sarri has got to get the players on his side – and straight away.”

Premier League predictions – Richard Keys’ top six

1) Liverpool

2) City

3) Spurs

4) Manchester United

5) Chelsea

6) Arsenal. Maybe!