Gary Neville has angered some Arsenal fans by suggesting Mikel Arteta could walk away from the Gunners this summer if he secures a top-four finish in the Premier League.Arteta, who has been in charge at the Emirates Stadium since December 2019 after replacing Unai Emery, has improved Arsenalâs fortunes in recent months.The Spaniard has been under pressure at times during his tenure as Arsenal head coach but his side have won 10 of their last 13 league fixtures and currently sit above Tottenham and Manchester United in the league table.With the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe, Arteta has assembled a talented group of players who are consistently producing the goods week-in, week-out.Itâs been a while since Arsenal fans were so optimistic about their teamâs prospects but Neville threw a spanner in the works during the latest episode of The Overlap Live by suggesting Arteta wonât be able to do better than lead Arsenal to a fourth-place finish.BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 19: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal applauds fans after their sides victory during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park on March 19, 2022 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
What did Gary Neville say about Mikel Arteta and Arsenal?
âI really like Mikel Arteta, I think heâs a brilliant coach. I think the team is fantastic in terms of the young players theyâve got,â Neville told an audience of fans alongside Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane, per The Metro.
âBut itâs interesting when youâre in a cycle of a club and you depress the ambition and have a significant period of failure because you then get really happy about finishing fourth.
âI found myself saying that about Manchester United. But itâs because of a depressed ambition.
âI think Mikel Arteta is a good operator. My concern is if Arsenal finish fourth this season â which to be fair, I think is 50/50, I still think thereâs a long way to in that race â but if they finish fourth, thatâs in some ways as good as it gets.
âYouâve got Pep [Guardiola], [Jurgen] Klopp, Man United, Chelsea, where can Arsenal go? Theyâre not going to compete.
âMikel Arteta is a brilliant coach, I love that weâre seeing a team that heâs getting the maximum out of, I can see exactly how he wants to play, we all can.
âBut he gets to fourth [and] if he was really hard about it, heâd probably say âright, thatâs the best I can do there, Iâm going now and getting my next jobâ.â
Watch the clip here:
Now letâs check out some of the reaction from Arsenalâs fans:
Jamie Carragher: Arsenal's next signings are crucial
Carragher, however, believes Arsenal could push on if they make the right signings.
The Liverpool legend added: âThe next two or three signings for Arsenal have to be what Alisson and [Virgil] van Dijk were for Liverpool, where they help you make that jump to compete with Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.
âThey need a top centre-forward who could take them up a level.â
Are Arsenal better than Chelsea? (Football Terrace)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElovShZyeSk
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