Arsenal are under extreme pressure after losing their first three league matches and according to Paul Merson, the noose is rapidly tightening around the the neck of Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners have suffered defeats at the hands of Chelsea, Man City and even Brentford meaning they are now sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table with 0 points.
And according to Paul Merson, Mikel Arteta has around one more month to turn things around and save his job at the club.
He told Sky Sports: “I think Arsenal’s season starts when they come back from the international break. The fixtures coming up are winnable games and they will have to win them, there’s no doubt about that.
“I think Mikel Arteta will have until the October international break. I think if they haven’t improved by then, he will be under severe pressure. I think that’s common sense when you’re spending that kind of money.
“Would I expect Arsenal to beat Chelsea and Manchester City? No. But are there ways of getting beat against them? Yes.
“For me, time will tell with the new signings, but at the moment Arsenal are a mid-table team. If they come fifth or sixth, I think they would be pulling up trees, I really do.
“Tenth is about right. I don’t think they finish above Leicester, and I don’t think they finish above Tottenham now that Harry Kane’s staying. You look at Everton with Rafa now, and they’re going to be organised and hard to beat. West Ham look decent too.”
Arsenal take on Norwich City right after the international break and this is a game they should be winning without any major hiccups.
So far, the Gunners have won just one match this season – a 6-0 win over West Brom in the EFL Cup.
They have spent a lot of money in the transfer market this summer so Mikel Arteta will have absolutely no excuses right now. So if he cannot deliver results then the Kroenke family will surely be scouting various alternatives.
Barring a North London derby, Arsenal have relatively easy fixtures in the next month so we expect Arteta’s side to climb up from the bottom spot and at least enter the top half of the table.
