Mic'd Up: The former Premier League defender says City are the quiet favorites, is impressed by both Robinson and Chris Richards
The Premier League is back this weekend, but Nedum Onuoha says it's too early to make bold predictions. That's because the transfer window is still open and there are several clubs - such as Tottenham, Newcastle United and Manchester United - who are still potentially tied to big deals ahead of the Sept. 1 deadline.
"Once the window closes, you can really expect to see some quality football from teams who really know they can do well," the ESPN FC analyst said.
Still, the former Premier League defender, who played for more than a decade in the English top flight with the likes of Manchester City, Sunderland, and Queens Park Rangers, believes it's a wide open race - even if Liverpool, Arsenal and City all standouts
"I think that's credit for the league itself and the clubs, because in reality, very rarely do you start a season not knowing who it's going to be," he said. "Because you know that those three teams in particular have got all the quality in the world, and you add in a ton of teams behind them now who can beat them on any particular day. Because you can see a great [season] coming from Chelsea. You can see it from Aston Villa. You can see it from Newcastle. You can see it from resurgent Manchester United, maybe you know, resurgent Spurs."
Onuoha discussed Alexander Isak's future, USMNT stars Antonee Robinson and Chris Richards and all things Premier League in the the latest edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.