The former forward of Arsenal, Celtic, Scotland and more, Charlie Nicholas, has not seemed overly confident about the Gunners and our chances of winning the Premier League in recent seasons. The football pundit has been critical of various apparent weaknesses in the squad and Arsene Wenger´s transfer policy.
Early on this season, Nicholas was adamant that Arsenal would not be able to win the title this season unless the boss spent some money, with a striker one of his demands but a defensive midfielder top of his wish list. This week, however, after seeing Arsenal defeat Stoke City and move into the top four of the table, Nicholas is sounding a lot more optimistic.
As reported by Sky Sports, the Scot is now saying that Arsenal do have a squad that is capable of winning the title, even though Wenger bucked the trend of panic buying and only signed Petr Cech from Chelsea to bolster the first team options.
Charlie says, “I may be the only one who thinks this but I believe that this current group is good enough to win the league.
“They had an awful start against West Ham but all of a sudden they have got a pretty good run of games going.
“I would’ve liked a holding midfielder but I think these guys can win the league.
“But it is up to them to prove their competitive edge and spirit.”
So why the change of heart Charlie? Could it be because Arsenal have bounced back from the early season struggles, while the likes of Liverpool, United and Chelsea are still looking decidedly dodgy? Has Coquelin´s continued excellence, which has started to get noticed more and more, convinced him that the Gunners do not need a holding midfielder? And does his experience as a striker tell him that Arsenal have enough fire power in Walcott, Alexis and Giroud?
And do you agree with Charlie Nicholas that Arsenal have a title winning squad?