Martin Keown believes Manchester City could use their Premier League charges to "fuel" their title bid at Arsenal's expense.
The Premier League charged City with more than 100 alleged breaches of its financial rules on Monday following a four-year investigation. The case will now be presented to an independent commission, which will result in a tough and lengthy legal battle.
Pep Guardiola's side are aiming to a win a fifth Premier League title in six seasons this term but find themselves five points behind surprise package Arsenal having played a game more. Keown, like many Arsenal fans, is concerned City could chase them down.
"I’m pretty certain this will only galvanise the City players," Keown told talkSPORT. "This can be used as fuel to get back to the top of the Premier League table.
"There’s a feeling that the world is against them now, the ramifications are huge. These players will want to hit back, they’ll use this as energy. They’ll have the best lawyers in the world against this and they’ll want to get the truth out."
The Premier League started an investigation into City's financial records in 2018 after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents claiming the club had inflated a sponsorship deal. That would have had an impact on City's Financial Fair Play status.
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City rejected the claims, but UEFA served them with a two-year ban from European competitions after their investigation concluded in 2020. That ban was overturned when City brought the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Yet the Premier League's investigation is different. If found guilty, City can appeal the independent commission's decision - but that will only trigger the Premier League to set up a new independent commission. They cannot lodge an appeal with CAS.
If found guilty, City's punishment could be severe. They could receive a points deduction or be stripped of previous titles, with rival fans wondering whether their club will be awarded those honours retrospectively. City could even be expelled from the league.
As revealed by The Mirror, City believe the Premier League announced the charges to overshadow the government's plan to bring in an independent regulator for football. Some critics have accused the Premier League of trying to prove they can regulate themselves.
City's battle with the Premier League is unlikely to be resolved before the end of this season, such is the severity of the case. Before the news broke, City defender Kyle Walker warned Arsenal of their ability to go on huge winning runs in the Premier League.
Walker told Sky Sports: "There is still a lot of football to be played. I have been here many, many years in the Premier League and I know the twists and turns that can happen. I know what this team is about. I know what this team can do. We can go on runs from now until the end of the season and it’s just about us doing that really."
