Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal future could be in jeopardy as Kroenkes made aware of major flaw
Simon Jordan, former chairman of Crystal Palace, has expressed skepticism about Mikel Arteta’s ability to lead Arsenal to success in the Premier League. Jordan believes that Mikel Arteta may not be the suitable long-term manager for the Gunners because of a significant weakness.
Arsenal’s aspirations for the title this season have been dashed, as they were once eight points ahead of Manchester City and held the top position for the majority of the campaign.
However, a recent stretch of poor form, with only two victories in their last seven matches, has placed City on the verge of securing their fifth title in six seasons. Should Manchester City defeat Chelsea or if Arsenal loses to Nottingham Forest a day prior, City will clinch the top spot this Sunday.
While the absence of William Saliba due to injury has certainly impacted Arsenal’s decline in performance, Simon Jordan believes there are additional factors at play. Jordan expresses doubts about Arteta’s ability to guide a team to success, questioning his credentials in leading a team to victory.
Jordan told talkSPORT: “I also worry, to use a Graeme Souness-ism, that Arteta is a son-in-law.
“I’m not sure he has this particular gear in those narrowing of the eyes that concentrates players’ minds that gets them to the next level. Something was lost, it wasn’t just Saliba that didn’t get you past those games.”
Simon Jordan has once more commended Mikel Arteta for his handling of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s final months at Arsenal.
However, Jordan emphasizes that despite this praise, it does not excuse the significant failures Arsenal has experienced in the last two seasons, as they have fallen short of their respective goals in each campaign.
He added: “[Aubameyang’s] one moment in time and I applaud him for that. That was a courage of your convictions moment.
“But then you’ve got that moment where your team needs to do something different to be able to overcome the business end of the season. Arsenal’s business end to the season was similar to their business end of the season last year for different reasons.
“Now whatever you say and whatever we want to say, which is don’t forget where they came from – well don’t forget where they were. Because where they came from is an incidental that excuses not achieving the ultimate outcome.”
According to Simon Jordan, Mikel Arteta has a substantial amount of work ahead of him to demonstrate his capability in restoring the glory days to Arsenal, the club located in North London.
He continued: “Yeah absolutely [Arteta has a lot to prove]. There’s this perspective that maybe he’s going to cut his cloth at Arsenal and end up in the dugout at Manchester City, and maybe he will, I don’t know.
“But the question is Arsenal. First of all, well done for finishing second in the league. Not so well done for stealing defeat from the jaws of victory.
“The third part of the equation is ‘Are they going to build on it? Is the next step to win the league?’ – I don’t think it is.”
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal future could be in jeopardy as Kroenkes made aware of major flaw