Arsenal’s 2-0 win against West Ham impressed Martin Keown, and he believes they can end the season inside the Champions League places.
This has been a tough campaign for Mikel Arteta’s men as they look to become a top club again.
The Spaniard is rebuilding the team and has made some impressive signings recently.
The players have proven to be quality buys and they are also full of confidence.
These are the reasons the Gunners have broken inside the top four and they will be determined to stay there.
Keown believes the team is moving in the right direction and tips them to finish this season strongly.
He says, as quoted by The Daily Mail: ‘I think in this transition period with a young manager [Arteta], young director of football [Edu], Saka and Smith Rowe have been outstanding.
‘They still need to score more goals, it’s been a difficult period but they are in the top four. Why can’t Arsenal make it?
‘I do feel the quality is there and the belief is there. I’d like to see Smith Rowe come into the team again because when he comes on look at the message he sends.
‘It’s important to keep feet on the ground because this is one win. They go to Leeds next and they need to get a result. People can see the quality there as they are rebuilding. They are unified and they need to build from there.
‘There has to be a platform for those front three to go and do what they do. [Alexandre] Lacazette was good tonight, really professional given his best mate in the team was dropped.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Arsenal’s form in recent weeks has been inconsistent, but it is still better than how they started the campaign.
Some of the club’s summer signings have performed beyond expectations, and it is a credit to Arteta for building his team around them.
Previously, the club would have struggled in the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but they have two wins from two games without his involvement and that shows the current team is being built the right way.
I am sure Arsenal will go all the way and get into the top 4 if they deliver performances like this against WestHam, on a consistent basis. That said, I would like to see Odegard take the place of Xhaka in the midfield and ESR come in place of Odegard upfront. With this, we have all our best players on the pitch playing alongside each other.