Joleon Lescott has supported his former club Manchester City to bounce back from a disappointing Premier League and Champions League campaign under the steward of Pep Guardiola
Former England -defender Joleon Lescott has written off Liverpool to win the Premier League this season and believes that Manchester City will pipe them to the title.
The 42-year-old supported his former club to bounce back from a disappointing Premier League and Champions League campaign under the steward of Pep Guardiola, suggesting that they benefited from the mental break last season.
Guardiola has been active on the transfer market and brings in James Trafford, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Sverre Nypan
Manchester City won an unprecedented four Premier League titles in a row between 2021 and 2024, but could not maintain that indictment because they ended up in 2025.
Lescott, however, places them as the team to beat this season, despite the sensational transfer activities of Liverpool. The former defender – with the launch of the new Topps Premier League 2025-26 Trade Card collection – said: “Regardless of how last season came, they will definitely become one of the favorites. It is Pep Guardiola, it is Man City with some of the world's best players.
“It would be foolish not to see them as favorites in every competition they enter. That does not mean that they will win everything, but they are definitely one of the favorites.”
City finished 13 points behind Champions Liverpool in third place last season, but Lescott dropped their drop to a tiredness of winning. “It was clearly an unprecedented season for them last year, but they have achieved something that no one has reached in the history of English football, so it will always take his toll,” he explained.
“That did that last year. Not only a physical toll, but also a mental toll to stay focused for so long and to have to win games for that period. When they acknowledged that they would not win the title, whether it was unconsciously or not, they could turn off a little.
“Physically the question was still there, but hopefully they have had a pause mentally, not to go outside and concentrate wise points, hopefully that means that they are ready to be ready to go.”
Lescott spoke during the launch of Topps Premier League 2026 in London in London, with players from all 20 clubs in the competition in their 2025/26 kits in the Fanatics Flagship Store on Thursday.
He was accompanied by other legends such as Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand to celebrate the new stand-alone range with legends and current stars, with an extensive parallel program and more signatures than ever before.
The showcase of Premier League talent among the collector's objects also gave Lescott reason to be enthusiastic about his former club while he was enthusiastic about the signing of the 21-year-old Cherki through the city.
“He is also very exciting for the Premier League. He plays with a lot of flair, a lot of quality. I expect a good start for him and a good season,” he said.
“But again, we cannot be dragged along and judge too quickly, whether it is good or bad, there must be a bed in the period.” And despite the excitement, Lescott also gave caution about the expectations of the young person who joined Lyon this summer.
“It is a big change for him, from the French league, it will be another question, physical, mentally and also a tension. I think we only see foreign players in different competitions if they do well.
“Now we see him in the difficult times and the research comes when you don't do it so well. So it is how they manage those periods and understand that people will look at every game every moment.”
The launch of the Topps Premier League 2025-26 collection marked football icons Alan Shearer, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand, accompanied by Jermaine Defoe, Joleon Lescott, Theo Walcott and Tosin Adarabioyo, next to Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin.