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Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has backed Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to deliver for the Gunners.
The north London club had a torrid start to the season, losing their first three Premier League games. After a brief resurgence, Arsenal are once again in troubled waters, having lost three of their last four league outings.
But Chadwick is of the opinion that Arsenal should persist with the Spaniard. While chatting with CaughtOffside, the 41-year-old said:
“With Arsenal, similarly to Manchester United, there never seems to be any in-between with them. Obviously they had a poor start to the season and it was sort of the end of the world!"
He added:
“Then their results improved and they climbed up the league, and there’s been a lot of hope around their fantastic young players, young English players too. Then the Manchester United game, if that had gone Arsenal’s way, which it could’ve done quite easily, then I think Arteta would still be seen as doing a great job and turning things around."
Arsenal dropped to seventh spot in the Premier League following their 2-1 loss to Everton last weekend. Chadwick said in this regard:
“Obviously they lost and then got beaten by Everton. They lost a 1-0 lead and it ended 2-1 but it could’ve been 4-1 with the goals that were disallowed, and it does seem to be slipping into crisis mode again."
Chadwick continued:
“I think the hierarchy at Arsenal have shown they want to stick with Arteta, and I think that’s the right decision. I think he’s shown he’s got the makings of a really good manager and he’s got promising young players coming in, so it’s just about getting that all together."
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored just four Premier League goals this season. Speaking about the under-fire Gabon striker, Chadwick said:
“Aubameyang when he first came in, there was a huge buzz about him, now he’s had a bit of a setback since getting that pay rise and becoming captain. Still, despite these last two performances, they look like they have moved forward, not just in terms of results but also the squad he’s put together."
He concluded by saying:
“There’s the making of something there and obviously Arsenal fans will want that to be sooner rather than later, but it looks like it's going to be a long-term project.”
Arsenal planning new signings in January 2022
Arsenal's mixed start to the season has made it clear that the Gunners squad is still not competitive enough to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Moreover, with few players in the final year of their contracts, Arsenal manager Arteta has hinted at new signings in January. He said:
“We are in discussions. We have talks every week about it. What happens in the January window can affect our squad. As you know we have certain players with uncertainty in the summer, so we have to plan now and the summer. We don’t expect big things happening but we have to be very alert and prepared in the market.”
Arsenal will next face Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.
