"It has slightly changed from the beginning of the season" - Alan Shearer makes bold Premier League top 4 claim involving Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United 

Alan Shearer is now backing Arsenal to finish in the top four of the Premier League ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea after he 'changed' his mind.

The Gunners are currently top of the league after winning six of their first seven top-flight encounters. They narrowly missed out on a Champions League place last term to Tottenham Hotspur and haven't been in Europe's elite competition since 2017.

However, following their excellent summer transfer window and their brilliant start, Shearer believes Mikel Arteta's side will defy his start-of-the-season expectations. The Premier League's all-time record goalscorer told ViaPlay (as per HITC Sport):

“I think I might say Arsenal. It has slightly changed from the beginning of the season. But on the evidence, I have seen from Manchester United and Chelsea, then I think Arsenal might sneak in there was as well.”

The Newcastle United icon has backed the Gunners to finish above Manchester United and Chelsea this term, who have both endured difficult starts to the season. The Red Devils lost their opening two games this term but have since won their previous four under new manager Erik ten Hag.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's poor start to the season saw Thomas Tuchel get sacked, which was followed by the appointment of former Brighton boss Graham Potter.

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Jamie Carragher doesn't know if Arsenal have 'got the squad' to finish in the top four

The Gunners invested heavily in the summer on the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who have settled in brilliantly.

But when Carragher was asked on The Overlap if he thought the north London club would finally secure a place in the Premier League's top four, the Liverpool legend proclaimed:

“I’ve been impressed with them, I just don’t know if they’ve got the squad. When I watch Tottenham, Manchester United, they’re almost getting results the same sort of way, big, powerful, tough to beat. When I watch Arsenal, it’s fast, energetic, I’m excited watching it, but could what happened [against Manchester United] happen too often?"

"But the more impressive team, when we talk about how the game is played right now, the technical game and what Liverpool and Man City have done over the last four or five years, I think Arsenal are closer to that than say Tottenham or Man United are.”

The Gunners will next take on Tottenham in a huge north London derby on Saturday (October 1), with both sides currently in the Premier League's top three.