Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has sent a strong message to the Arsenal board, telling them to relieve Mikel Arteta of his duties if he doesn't win the English Premier League, Soccernet.ng reports.
Arteta, who worked as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City, took over the reins as the manager of Arsenal in December 2019 and has turned the team's fortunes around.
Under the Spaniard's tutelage, Arsenal have become regulars in the UEFA Champions League and have been second-best in consecutive seasons to Manchester City in the English Premier League. Last season, the Gunners were just two points short of lifting the title.
While Arsenal's display on the pitch has improved, silverware has continued to elude them. Meanwhile, Mikel has warned Arteta that the absence of titles will eventually cost him his job. On the contrary, the former Super Eagles captain backed Arne Slot's Liverpool to win the league this title.
“It's Liverpool's to lose. I don't think Arsenal will win it. If Mikel Arteta doesn't win the league next season, I think he should leave the football club. It's been almost seven seasons and you have spent close to 800 million. I don't think they are going to win the league this season. If he doesn't win the league next season, I think he should walk because City are going to be back,” the one-time UEFA Champions League winner said on the Obi One Podcast.
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While Manchester City had a terrible run of eleven games without a win, it appears the reigning Premier League Champions are finding their feet again, and Mikel belittled Arsenal for not taking advantage of the decline of Pep Guardiola's team.
“Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Newcastle are going to get stronger. For me, the only time that Manchester City were struggling, for me this is when Arsenal should have been there. I keep saying it yearly, they will bottle it. That's Arsenal, it's a known fact. Arsenal can't find a way to win the league.
“It is a mental side of things, I think mentally, obviously because they have been fighting with City for the past three years, I think that has drained them because they have not been able to get over the line. They can't sustain that pressure, we can see that this year.”
“When you have your best player, now he's going to be out till March, that's the worry. And Odegaard when he doesn't have a Saka, it's still not the same because they both combine really well on that right-hand side. When you have a player like Saka out that can get you goals and create chances, it's a worry for Mikel Arteta.
“He needs to find a way to win games. For me, it's a worry, if he doesn't win the league next season, I think he should raise his hands and walk. That's what I believe because that's going to be his seventh season. I think the Arsenal fans will agree with me on that, sometimes you can take a team to a level, if you think you can't get them over the line, then walk,” Mikel Obi concluded.
Up next, the Gunners welcome a fired-up Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup third round, and a loss could damage their morale even more.
