Manchester City attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva believes Arsenal will challenge his club for the Premier League title once again next campaign.
The Gunners have narrowly lost out to Pep Guardiola‘s side for top spot twice over the last two seasons and, when asked whether he can see Mikel Arteta’s side going toe to toe with them again, Silva said:
“For sure, I know their manager very well because he was here with us. I know how demanding and how intelligent he is. If you look at their squad, they are so young, and for sure they are very hungry to go after some titles. So, no doubt about that.”
City were pushed all the way by their title rivals and, if they are going to win their 7th title in 8 years, they will have to show all the desire and fighting spirit they showed during the run-in this campaign.
Will Silva even be at the club next season?
The future of the Portuguese international has been the subject of plenty of column inches in newspapers over the past few months.
Even though Silva signed a contract extension back in August last year, it included a £50m release clause that can be triggered this summer. Both Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have been credited with an interest in the player but there are doubts over whether either team will table a bid.
City need to freshen up their squad for another title push
While winning the Premier League, the Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup is a great achievement, the defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup final and crashing out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage does suggest there are weaknesses in the squad that need to be addressed.
Guardiola is a hard taskmaster and if he feels that any of his players are not showing the hunger required to go again next campaign, he will be keen to find others that are. It remains to be seen what that means for the likes of Silva.