Arsenal to reach Premier summit

Following Thierry Henry's departure for Barcelona, the future of Arsène Wenger apparently hanging in the balance and a lack of big name signings, the general consensus is that Arsenal are already out of the title race before a ball has been kicked. Not only is such a theory bunkum but at 12/1 with Sporting Odds Arsenal are worthy of a cheeky flutter. When Henry was in his pomp, it was often claimed Arsenal were a one-man team, and that the club's greatest ever goalscorer was in a league of his own can brook no argument. He guaranteed 25 goals a season and was regularly unplayable. However, fitness problems, marital strife as it turns out, the loss of a yard of pace and his frustration at his team-mates' apparent over-reliance upon him indicated the great man was actually becoming more of a fragmenting influence on the side. Now free of his withering looks and stifling captaincy, Arsenal's less established stars can now step up to the plate, having enjoyed a season's grace last term. Robin van Persie, Arsenal's top scorer last term despite the fact his season ended in January, was sensational before breaking his foot and will be a threat again, Tomas Rosicky will undoubtedly improve and defender William Gallas, also injured for three months last year, will benefit from pre-season training. With the side a year older and having enjoyed a better preparation ahead of the new season they should make a better start, unlike last term when they struggled to adapt to their new stadium and were held to five draws in the first ten home matches. A kind start to the fixture list should help their cause, as will shrewd signings Bakary Sagna and Eduardo Da Silva, who will add respective defensive steel and finishing ability. Wenger can also be relied upon to stay to continue his latest regeneration programme - it is what makes him tick. Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool will obviously provide strong opposition but have a number of new players to integrate. They will all take points off each other in a closer title race. Simply put, Arsenal are no 12/1 shots and when they fly out of the blocks in August that won't be around for long. Verdict: 2pts Arsenal to win Premiership @ 12/1 (Sporting Odds); 3pts Arsenal to finish in top 3 @ 2.6 (Betfair).