The Championship play-off final kicks off at 3.01pm today (Photo: Getty)

Sheffield United take on Sunderland today in the Championship play-off final, with the winner earning promotion back to the Premier League.

Often described as the mo…

The Championship play-off final kicks off at 3.01pm today (Photo: Getty)

Sheffield United take on Sunderland today in the Championship play-off final, with the winner earning promotion back to the Premier League.

Often described as the mo…

Lamine Yamal in action for Barcelona against Inter Milan (Picture: Getty)

Graeme Souness believes Lamine Yamal has the potential to become ‘one of the greatest players in history’ but says Jude Bellingham’s ‘concern…

Graeme Souness has named Liverpool’s biggest rival for the Premier League title next season as Arsenal and Manchester City aim to dethrone the new champions.

Liverpool were crowned the 2024-25 Premier League champions on Sunday after thrashing Tottenham 5-1 at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s side only needed a point to clinch a 20th English league title but got the job done in style with an emphatic victory over struggling Spurs.

Souness insists Liverpool are ‘deserved’ champions and ‘hopes’ the squad are targeting a period of ‘domination’ after blowing away their domestic rivals this season.

Liverpool have surged 15 points clear of second-placed Arsenal and 21 points clear of defending champions Manchester City, who fell well short of a fifth successive league title.

A period of Premier League dominance will first require a title defence and Souness believes Man City will be Liverpool’s biggest rival for the title next season.

Arsenal are on course for a third successive second-place finish and Souness says the Gunners will ‘come up short again’ unless Mikel Arteta is backed with ‘three or four quality additions’.

‘It is a wonderful day for these Liverpool players and it is one they will remember until the day they die,’ Souness told the Daily Mail following the title celebrations at Anfield.

‘That first league title win is a unique feeling. For some at Anfield, it is their second taste, but no less memorable, because this time the supporters were there.

‘My sweetest at Liverpool was probably my last in 1984, our third in a row, but my first was in 1979.

‘I can still remember looking round the dressing room, knowing I was with greats of the game, thinking no matter who comes afterwards, these guys are true greats.

‘I had become part of a team where it was expected that we won the league title. The confidence that instilled, the vibe, was that you felt it was your destiny to continue winning titles.

‘I hope these players today get that same feeling looking round the dressing room; that this could be the start of a dominating period once again for Liverpool.

‘That won’t be so easy as England’s top tier is a super difficult competition to win, and I still consider Manchester City to be the biggest threat to Liverpool come August.

‘Arsenal have threatened but Mikel Arteta knows he must improve his squad with three or four quality additions, or they will come up short once again.’

While Arsenal and Man City may feel summer investment is required to catch up with Liverpool, Souness believes his former club are under ‘no pressure to buy’.

That may not have been the case just a matter of weeks ago but Liverpool tied Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk down to new contracts ahead of their title triumph.

‘Liverpool are in the luxury position of not being under pressure to buy,’ Souness added. ‘Arne Slot walked into a very healthy football club.

‘Normally, you get big jobs if the roof is leaking or if there’s a constant drip. Liverpool were in good condition.

‘All the stars then aligned for them as no-one expected Manchester City to implode like they did and Arsenal, perhaps not unexpectedly, turned into Premier League nearly men once again.

‘Slot has had time to evaluate the players he inherited and look at the youngsters he maybe didn’t know. He will understand now what he needs to improve on to make them even stronger.

‘The hardest part of the job for him, when he came through the door on day one, was always going to be convincing Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk to stay.

‘When he looked ahead to assess what danger signs were ahead, he knew that was the most difficult task. But he has navigated that and managed it well.

‘Keeping those two, with their experience and performance levels, puts the dressing room in a healthy position.

‘Liverpool have won this league title not because they have been lucky in patches but, like all good champions, they have been consistently good at dealing with the challenges they have faced over nine hard months.

‘They have won it because they deserve it.’

Liverpool will lift the Premier League trophy after their final game of the season against Crystal Palace.

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Marcus Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan in January (Picture: Getty)

Graeme Souness has issued a word of warning to Aston Villa as they consider signing Marcus Rashford on a permanent transfer from Manchester United.

Rashford left his b…

Declan Rice made Graeme Souness eat his words with two sensational performances in Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final victory over Real Madrid.

Rice produced two Player of the Match displays to help Arsenal stun European champions Real Madrid and advance to the semi-final stage.

It was two brilliant Rice free-kicks in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium that set Arsenal on their way but the England midfielder was just as influential at the Bernabeu.

Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist both praised Rice for ‘running the show’ against Madrid just a few days after Souness questioned his status as a ‘world-class’ player.

Writing in a Daily Mail column in-between the quarter-final legs, Souness said: ‘There is nothing to dislike about Declan Rice but we need to apply some perspective before declaring him world class for scoring two free-kicks against Real Madrid.

‘He comes across as a great guy, I like to hear him speak and he talks with great honesty. I’m sure he is a dream to have in the dressing room but I’m sorry, two wonderful free-kicks do not make you a great player.

‘We get over excited easily in this country, particularly in the media, we are all guilty of it. Even if you win the FA Youth Cup you are considered a “club legend”. 

‘We are too quick to apply ‘”legend” or “worldie” status on the back of emotional events. We need to calm down and not get ahead of ourselves. 

‘We talked about a genuine world class player in Kevin de Bruyne last week. Declan is not there yet.’

Souness said Rice needed to offer more in the final third to take his game to the next level.

He added: ‘The challenge now is for him to go on and be better in that area.

‘Obviously, he has worked hard at his game and is improving. At 26 I don’t ever see that work ethic changing in him either.

‘He certainly is a wonderful dead-ball kicker and that is why, despite being 6ft 2ins tall, he is being sacrificed for set-pieces because otherwise with that physique he’d be a wonderful aerial threat in the box.’

Rice in ‘another bracket’ after Madrid displays

Ex-Manchester United and England defender Ferdinand said Rice had entered ‘another bracket’ following his superb performances in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

‘You need games like this in your career. You need to get to places like this to be properly judged,’ Ferdinand said.

‘He’s stood up against the holders of this trophy and he’s not just competed, he’s run the show, he’s run the show in both games.

‘He’s put himself in another bracket, I think after these two games he’s in another bracket.’

Fellow TNT Sports pundit McCoist added: ‘Over the two games, he’s been the outstanding player on the pitch.

‘He was monumental. He was the best player on the pitch in both games. His level of performance was quite magnificent.’

Arsenal legend Wright hails Rice

Meanwhile, Arsenal hero Ian Wright was also full of praise for Rice after Real Madrid were eliminated from the Champions League.

‘Nobody can ever question him,’ legendary ex-Arsenal striker Wright said on the Wrighty’s House podcast.

‘You see all these podcasters being disrespectful, but Declan Rice, over two games, absolutely wiped the floor with that team with his performance.

‘It was a performance where you’re looking at a player and you’re thinking: yeah, we know he’s good and he’s getting better. We saw the two goals last week that we haven’t seen before.

‘We’ve seen on a weekly basis that he’s just improving and getting better in any position that he’s asked to play in, whether that’s crashing the box, whether it’s six, whether it’s eight.

‘He was everywhere! He was everywhere! As we sit here right now, he is in the top three midfielders in the world.’

Rice will make his 100th appearance for Arsenal before the end of the season, having joined the club in a £105m move from West Ham in 2023.

Next up for Rice and Arsenal in the Champions League is a semi-final clash with French champions PSG, who have already knocked out Aston Villa and Liverpool.

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‘Collectively, individually, they are off the charts right now.’