The pressure is building on Arsenal following their loss to Manchester United. The Gunners have picked up just two points from their last three league matches, to give their title rivals fresh hope.
If they fail to win the Premier League this season, then the Spaniard’s time at the Emirates could be over.
Arsenal have finished second in England’s top flight for the last three years, and there have been moments in each season where fans and the media thought that they would end their 21-year Premier League trophy drought.
Instead, they were overtaken by their rivals. In 2022/23 and 2023/24, it was Man City and in the last campaign, it was Liverpool.
A huge summer transfer window finally saw the Gunners secure top squad depth for the first time in years. Their depth over recent seasons let them down in the title race, but with around £120m on the bench most weeks, in Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, the club finally had bolstered their options in attack. They now have strong depth in pretty much every position, and this has seen them manage the UEFA Champions League superbly.
With them first in the Premier League and the Champions League, it felt like the best chance for the Gunners to finally end the drought after years of frustration. Liverpool have been inconsistent and poor, with new signings struggling to set the world alight, whilst the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have not been at their best.
Arne Slot’s side have already lost seven games, which is three more than they lost in the league last season.
Man City have also struggled for form, with Pep Guardiola’s side already losing five games in the division.
Yet Arsenal still do not have breathing space at the top of the table. Their loss at the weekend saw them go three games without a win. Now, City and Aston Villa are only four points away from first place.
Man City and Aston Villa have also not been at their best over the last five games. City have only won once and Villa twice, so there was a real opportunity for Arsenal to build a very strong gap to the chasing pack.
They had only lost one game in the division before early December and at the time, many were expecting them to run away with the title.
Since then, it has not gone to plan, with recent 0-0 draws to Nottingham Forest and Liverpool drawing huge criticism as Arteta struggled to get the best out of his attack.
Now, the pressure is on. Some fans were booing following the loss to Man United, and there’s a genuine fear of Arsenal bottling again. Their top performances and current position in the division still make them heavy favourites to lift the title, according to MyBettingSites.co.uk, but this added pressure of being tipped to win the league could affect them mentally.
2025/26 has been full of positives, and still can be, with all four trophies still up for grabs. However, Arteta has not won a trophy as a manager since 2020, and with this trophy drought, this campaign has become pivotal for the former midfielder.
If Arsenal fail to win the Premier League after having the biggest net spend in the summer transfer window and after having one of their strongest starts to the season, then many will question whether Arteta could ever deliver a title to North London.
Arsenal’s spending under Arteta has surpassed £1 billion, and if he can’t win a big trophy after six years and huge amounts of money spent, then it may be best for the club to part ways and look for a manager who can get the Gunners consistently winning trophies again.
