“For sure their character will be tested” – Mikael Silvestre predicts where Arsenal will finish this season

Mikael Silvestre believes his former club Arsenal can break into the Premier League top four this season following an excellent transfer window.

The Gunners have added five new players to their squad, including Manchester City duo Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko. They have also signed Marquinhos, Pablo Vieira and Matt Turner.

Mikel Arteta's side threw away a golden opportunity last term to qualify for the Champions League following a disastrous end to the campaign. They were in a pole position to finish fourth but lost against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United and ended up finishing fifth.

Arsenal haven't finished in the Premier League's top four since 2016. However, Silvestre believes they will find the consistency needed to break that glass ceiling this season. The former French defender, who spent two years at the Emirates Stadium, told Bettingexpert:

"With pre-season, signings and everything, it is looking promising and positive at the moment. If they can keep that consistency, looking back at the second part of the season last season they, along with Spurs, were the team that got the most points in the table. It’s still a young squad and a young manager, for sure their character will be tested."

He added that there are still doubts over Arsenal's consistency but he believes that they could get into the top four. Silvestre said:

"Consistency is still a question mark, but I would expect them to progress because of what they’ve done and the dynamic they’re in. Pre-season games only give you so much."

He added:

"Maybe they can give a bit of light where the squad is at the minute, but the whole season is a marathon. But, so far so good. I would expect them to progress and break into the top four, why not?"

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Roy Keane explains why he feels Manchester United will finish above Arsenal this season

While many have backed the Gunners to finish in the top four, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane isn't convinced.

The pundit believes that the north London club "blew" the chance to finish in the top four, as he told a Sky Sports Q&A session (as quoted by The Express):

“You look at Arsenal last season, getting plaudits for young players, they got themselves in a great position and blew it. That’s what they did. They didn’t get the job done, they couldn’t step up to the plate. So again, they couldn’t back it up. There is something still amiss with United, the Ronaldo stuff, they might get one or two deals in the next few weeks."

Keane further added:

"If they can get it (De Jong) done, United can be decent. But forget all this top two stuff, I think United should be able to compete with Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs.”