Arsenal legend, Theo Walcott, has made a negative prediction for the Gunners’ upcoming Premier League campaign and believes Mikel Arteta will miss out on the title once again.
Theo Walcott Premier League Prediction For Arsenal
The Gunners come into this upcoming Premier League season with a point to prove after finishing second during the last three consecutive campaigns under Mikel Arteta.
Fans have slowly started to turn against the Spaniard after failing to bring in silverware and finishing as runner-up three times, leaving the club no choice but to add some quality this summer.
So far, Arsenal have signed Viktor Gyokores, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Kepa, with rumors over a move for Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace also catching fire in recent weeks.
These new additions will be given their first run out in the Premier League on August 17th, as the Gunners travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United – with Arsenal being favorites to win on betting sites.
Despite these positive additions, former Arsenal star Theo Walcott has given a surprisingly negative prediction for the Gunners this season and the pundit believes Mikel Arteta’s side will miss out on the league title once again.
Walcott said: “It’s a mindset they don’t want to go into. When I was playing for the club, top four was good enough. All of a sudden, that is implemented into the squad.
“The manager says he wants the top four and as players we saw that as the job in hand, and we did that. Of course, we wanted to win the league but we did our job – and that was top four.
“Now it’s a different kind of element where people are expecting Arsenal to win but I’m not expecting them to, I’m really not. I want us to be competitive till the end of the season.
“They got distracted with the Champions League last season because the squad depth was too short and they didn’t have the players that can take the load off certain players. They played too much football.
“It’s a different feeling this year but I still feel that there’s elements of ‘we’ll just miss out again’. Maybe I’m negative or that’s just how I see it but, look, you can’t get into that cycle of always being second best.”
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This year is being considered as a make or break situation for Mikel Arteta, as the Spaniard has fallen short in each competition for three consecutive seasons.
Last season, the Gunners were not really in title contention as Liverpool went on to dominate and win the Premier League by a 10-point margin.
Arsenal did manage to reach the Champions League semi-final after a historic victory over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, but were swept aside by PSG.
Runs in the domestic competitions left much to be desired, exiting the FA Cup via penalties against Manchester United before being eliminated in the Carabao Cup semi-finals by Newcastle.
This disappointing run is echoed in Walcott’s prediction, but Premier League icon Wayne Rooney has also made some bold predictions which includes the Gunners failing to win the title.
Failing to win any form of silverware this season could leave Mikel Arteta in a precarious position, as Arsenal fans are now looking for a return after a strong summer window.
