Arteta Should Heed Keane's Warning – Arsenal Are Regressing

Arsenal no longer need an on-field miracle to catch Liverpool in the Premier League title race—only an unlikely points deduction for the league leaders could bridge the gap. Following the weekend's results, Arne Slot’s side sits 15 points clear after a 3-1 victory over Southampton at Anfield, while Arsenal’s title hopes took another hit with a frustrating 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

For the third consecutive season, it appears the Gunners will have to settle for second place rather than silverware. Previously edged out by Manchester City, they now find themselves outmatched by Slot’s dominant Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta has undeniably transformed Arsenal from a mid-table struggler to a consistent contender since inheriting the squad in disarray following Arsène Wenger’s departure. However, doubts persist over whether this iteration of the team has what it takes to move beyond the ‘nearly men’ label and finally secure the title.

Sunday’s result—being held by a Manchester United side enduring their worst season in a generation—was another blow, with Arsenal arguably fortunate to escape with a point. And while injuries and other mitigating factors offer some explanation, there’s no guarantee things will improve any time soon.

Keane's criticism

Never one to hold back his opinions, Roy Keane delivered a scathing critique of Arsenal—not just for their performance in Sunday’s draw against Manchester United, but for the overall trajectory of their project under Mikel Arteta.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Keane was asked by presenter David Jones whether the Gunners could win the 2025-26 Premier League title with Arteta in charge. His response was blunt: “No. Why would I? What makes you think the manager can do it? They’ve come close over the last few years, but [Manchester] City will be strong next year, and I’m sure Liverpool will be too.”

Keane questioned Arsenal’s credentials, pointing to their mentality as a potential stumbling block. “Where is the evidence to think they can do it? Getting a striker in would help, but have they got the right mentality? Has the manager? You see a different side to them when they’re winning every week, but they get all agitated when they start losing.”

While many believe Arsenal’s title hopes hinge on signing a prolific striker, Keane remained unconvinced. “I don’t think getting a striker who’ll score 20 goals a season will necessarily be the difference. Do you think City and Liverpool will just stand still? They’re going to look to improve—Pep [Guardiola] will bounce back, and I think Liverpool will be stronger next season. We don’t know where Chelsea will be, but what’s the evidence that this group of players can actually win it?”

He finished with a brutal reality check: “It’s alright challenging, but it should be about winning titles.”

Undoubted promise

Doubting Mikel Arteta’s credentials at this stage feels disingenuous and attention-seeking. Among the 10 managers in history to have recorded more than 100 wins from their first 200 games in charge, Arteta ranks fifth (118), trailing only Pep Guardiola (146), José Mourinho (137), Jürgen Klopp (127), and Sir Alex Ferguson (122). Meanwhile, Arsenal’s two-season rolling average of 86.5 points from 2022 to 2024 is the highest in their history. The numbers speak for themselves.

The Gunners are no longer the punchline they were during the latter years of Arsène Wenger’s tenure, Unai Emery’s short-lived reign, or even the turbulent early period of Arteta’s project. He has transformed the squad in his image, reviving a club that had faded from relevance in title conversations. For that, he deserves immense credit—it’s difficult to imagine many other managers stepping into N5 back in 2019 and delivering a better rebuild.

This is why Arsenal fans are so protective of Arteta, and not just because of his past as a player during the club’s transitional years. When critics attempt to pick holes in his approach, supporters have every right to push back. However, there’s a difference between backing the manager wholeheartedly and objectively questioning what the future may hold. Both perspectives can coexist.

Cracking up?

It’s almost absurd how often managers are required to face the media, sometimes enduring up to six press conferences in a single week, along with another half-dozen pre-match and post-match TV interviews. But in the modern game, that level of scrutiny comes with the territory, and a young coach like Mikel Arteta should understand the importance of composure.

Yet again, he struggled to keep his emotions in check following a frustrating result. When questioned by Sky Sports' Patrick Davison about the title race, Arteta abruptly walked off set—a petulant reaction just weeks after defiantly stating that conceding to Liverpool would have to happen “over my dead body.” Since making that remark, Arsenal have collected just two points from a possible nine in the league.

For years, the Gunners have been granted more leeway than their rivals, a nod to the fact that Arteta inherited a struggling side and rebuilt them into contenders. But that patience has worn thin this season, with expectations shifting from mere progress to outright success—particularly with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City showing signs of vulnerability.

The 2024-25 campaign is shaping up to be a missed opportunity for Arsenal. Whether they’ll have the energy and resilience to mount another title challenge next season remains an open question.

Need for evolution

Keane, a key figure in Manchester United’s serial-winning sides, highlighted a crucial truth: great teams must evolve. The expectation is that Manchester City will return stronger with a fresh wave of talent, while Liverpool will rebuild regardless of the futures of out-of-contract stars Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Virgil van Dijk.

So where does that leave Arsenal? As Keane suggested, the logical next step is acquiring a marquee striker to sharpen their attack, but the Gunners' issues run deeper. Their only notable improvement this season has been their set-piece efficiency, yet even that has started to wane. In many ways, this version of Arsenal feels like a shadow of their 2022-23 and 2023-24 selves.

Injuries offer an easy explanation. Over the past two years, Arsenal had largely navigated challenges with only William Saliba’s 2022-23 back injury causing significant disruption. This season, however, squad depth has been truly tested, with captain Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka missing extended periods.

Yet injuries alone don’t explain why Arsenal now trail Liverpool by 15 points. Their shift from being the league’s most electrifying team to a slower, more methodical side has come at a cost. Their struggle to recapture that attacking verve has been like watching a Ferrari stuck in deep mud. While set-pieces initially provided a crucial attacking outlet, even that edge has dulled.

Not only have Arsenal lost their attacking spark, but their defensive solidity has also suffered—despite it being a clear priority. Even Manchester United, one of Europe’s least effective attacking sides, found it alarmingly easy to trouble David Raya at Old Trafford. When performances dip across the board, it signals a need for tactical evolution. Yet Arteta has been unwavering in his rigid system, showing little inclination to adjust.

This stubborn adherence to structure has been Arsenal’s undoing. Their relentless pursuit of perfection—focusing on control, precision, and mastering the finer details—has come at the expense of the ruthless, adaptable mindset required to win at all costs.

Contracts in need of renewal

Another looming issue is creeping up on Arsenal like a villain in a slasher film—the contract situations of their key players. The need for a midfield refresh is already pressing, with Thomas Partey and Jorginho out of contract this summer, while Leandro Trossard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Takehiro Tomiyasu are only tied down until 2026.

Then comes the far more ominous trio of 2027—Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães. No progress has been reported on extensions for any of them, and before long, Arsenal will enter that uncomfortable two-year window where clubs must decide whether to cash in or commit to new deals.

The expectation is that Saka, a boyhood Arsenal fan, will remain and continue fighting for trophies. But the same confidence can’t be applied to their formidable centre-back pairing. Saliba is already being name-dropped in the Real Madrid press machine—it’s only a matter of time before Sergio Ramos declares he has the "DNA" to play at the Bernabéu. And if Madrid come knocking, why not test Arsenal’s resolve with a bid for his Brazilian partner too?

At some point, as Keane alluded to, contention must give way to actual success. Nearly-men must become champions. Arsenal need to prove to their best players that they are serious about winning—because if they don’t, plenty of other elite clubs will be ready to offer them that opportunity.

Is the title window closing?

After Arsenal’s failure to secure the 2023-24 Premier League title was confirmed on the final day of the season, Mikel Arteta delivered an impassioned speech to an emotional Emirates Stadium crowd.

“All this is happening because you started believing,” he told the fans. “You started to be patient, you started to understand what we were trying to do, and all the credit has to go to these amazing players and the unbelievable staff.

“I think now it’s time to have a break, think, reflect, and please, keep pushing, keep inspiring this team. Don’t be satisfied because we want much more than that, and we’re going to get it. Thank you so much.”

Sport can be unpredictable at the best of times, but few competitions are as volatile as football, where low-scoring games leave little margin for error. Arteta’s belief that Arsenal’s trajectory would continue upward was, in hindsight, overly optimistic.

No one predicted Manchester City’s drop-off this season, Liverpool’s struggles in Jurgen Klopp’s penultimate campaign, or Thomas Tuchel’s abrupt dismissal at Chelsea just over a year after winning the Champions League. Football history is littered with sudden declines and seismic shifts at the top level.

Arteta has often referenced his five-phase plan, and ahead of Sunday’s draw with United, he claimed his team had reached phase four: “Establishing yourself at the highest level in the Champions League. Consistently perform with a lot of unity and being very close to touching big trophies.”

That vision has propelled Arsenal to this point, and it’s fair to acknowledge the progress they’ve made. But it’s equally valid to question whether this plan will deliver actual silverware. At some stage, Arsenal must set their own precedent, prove the doubters wrong, and ensure that their current struggles don’t turn into a full-scale decline.