Joe Cole doubles down on Premier League top four prediction after transfer window

Former Premier League star Joe Cole has once again backed Manchester United to clinch a top four finish after claiming that nobody in the race for a Champions League spot "pulled the trigger" in the January transfer window.

A small cluster of teams are vying for the final European slot behind the trio of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Pep Guardiola's team already look nailed on to seal a third title in four years with Liverpool and Chelsea also well clear of the teams below them.

Along with Manchester United, the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham are all in the running to finish in the upper echelons of the league.

Only Tottenham were active in last month's transfer window - despite the fact that Arsenal and West Ham were desperately in need of attacking reinforcements.

Spurs wrapped up deals to prise Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski away from Juventus.

But Cole has admitted that he doesn't particularly rate Tottenham's January business and is still backing United to pip their rivals to fourth spot.

"Spurs brought in a couple of players who were struggling to get into what I consider a poor, for their standards, Juventus team," Cole told Coral.

"I have watched them a few times this year and covered two live games and they’re not the Juventus of even two years ago.

"So while they are decent players, do they really improve the Tottenham squad? Maybe slightly, but it’s almost like nobody wanted to really pull the trigger in that little bracket of teams and go and gamble on a big signing to really make a difference.

"You have to respect that because you don’t want a situation where a team overspends and things go very wrong but I don’t think any team chasing fourth have really added anything