Mikel Arteta has done a fantastic job at Arsenal but summer recruitment let him down and they look physically and mentally shot as they bid to finally end their title drought
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta saw his side collapse at Molineux(Image: Getty Images)
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Arsenal cannot possibly think about giving Mikel Arteta another contract unless he wins a major trophy.
Arteta has done a terrific job at the Emirates but unless the Gunners boss can get them over the line before his deal expires in 2027 then they should look elsewhere.
Arsenal might surprise us all and win the title or Champions League this season and that would elevate Arteta to being one of the club’s great managers.
But the margins between success and failure are always thin and Arsenal look as if they are in danger of choking again because they do not have the mental strength to cope with the pressure.
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That has to come from the manager and is the reason why they have come up short during Arteta’s reign and is also the reason why they have to look for a different manager if the Spaniard cannot deliver.
But there is no way they should entrust that process to the current sporting director Andrea Berta who came in last season, spent big last summer and yet, incredibly, Arsenal’s strike force looks worse than it did before.
There is a sense of the emperor’s new clothes around Berta. He has fooled everyone into thinking he is a transfer guru and yet some of his deals have been either underwhelming or just plain terrible.
Viktor Gyokeres is genuinely one of the worst strikers I have seen play for Arsenal. His touch is poor, his technique is poor and he is surrounded by players who are so clearly better than him.
If you picked any striker - from Yaya Sanogo to Lee Chapman - they would score goals in this team but they paid £64m for a striker who looks heavy, cumbersome and Championship level.
Noni Madueke is painfully inconsistent and all last season Arsenal fans were crying out for more quality on the left. And yet they are still starting with Gabriel Martinelli on the left for a must-win game at Wolves. That has to be on Berta.
Under pressure: Mikel Arteta(Image: AP)
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Martin Zubimendi was by far and away the best signing and yet all the leg work on his transfer was done by the previous recruitment team.
The reality is they did not add enough quality needed when it came to starters and they did not add enough leaders or proven winners either.
There are some good signings in there - Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie - but are they game changers? No. They are good squad additions.
Instead, Arsenal just look to Declan Rice who gives absolutely everything on the pitch. Even when he does not play, he still gives 110 per cent.
Rice looked strangely resigned to his fate as he trudged off after the draw at Wolves. He has seen it too many times before. So have Arsenal fans who are fed-up of finishing second year after year.
There is no chance, in my opinion, that Arsenal get rid of Arteta if they finish runners-up again this summer. But if they do not win this season, Arteta might just be a busted flush next year who struggles to convince anyone.
Viktor Gyokeres
Gyokeres has flattered to deceive despite his huge price tag(Image: Getty Images)
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In fairness, Arteta has transformed the club. But this is also a club that is used to winning. This is the longest they have gone post-war without winning a title. That is why you have to have a manager who can get this team over the line. 22 years quickly becomes 30.
If they blow it this time, it is hard to imagine Arteta will ever be able to do it. He will never have a better opportunity but they look shot to bits both mentally and physically.
And the physical aspect is a huge thing, too. At the same stage last season, Liverpool were still in Europe, they had reached the Carabao Cup final and had just gone out of the FA Cup fourth round at Plymouth.
So they were effectively in exactly the same boat as Arsenal even though the Gunners got past Wigan and into the fifth round.
But Liverpool boss Arne Slot did what Arteta struggles with. Slot tapered down training from January onwards, kept his most important players on the pitch and maintained energy levels to win the title.
That is where Arsenal have failed and that is on Arteta and why they look in serious danger of coming up short again. They look shot to bits.
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