Arsenal: Arteta rejects Maresca’s Premier League title claim as he reveals ‘very clear’ verdict on Chelsea | OneFootball

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has shut down Enzo Maresca’s claim regarding the Premier League title race ahead of his side’s clash against Chelsea.

The Gunners have emerged as the clear frontrunners to win the Premier League title this season as they are on a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

The north London outfit have the best squad in the division as they are well-equipped to fight on all four fronts after spending around £250m on signings in the summer.

Arsenal have been boosted by Liverpool and Manchester City’s struggles, while Chelsea have emerged as a potential challenger as they are second in the Premier League table.

Chelsea could make a statement this weekend as they host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but Maresca thinks it’s “too early” to include his side in the title conversation.

“It’s too early in any case if we win or don’t win [against Arsenal],” Maresca said.

“It’s November, there’s five or six months to go.

“It’s important where we are [in the table] in February and March and we’ll see if we can achieve something important.”

He added: “It’s another big game. We finished the one against Barça with a good feeling. If it’s bigger than the last one, I don’t know. For me they’re all important. It’s a nice feeling but it’s three points. Then we have Leeds which is three points in the same way.

“The mindset and mood are very good. We are doing good in the Premier League and Champions League. It’s a good feeling that we can see we’re improving and growing.

“We need that environment, the fans the way they were. It’s always nice to share that kind of moment at the end of the game with everyone.”

Despite this, Arteta has been full of praise for Chelsea, who “fully deserve” to be recognised as Premier League title contenders.

“I think we are all there, and they are there because they fully deserve what they have done in the last few years,” Arteta responded.

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“I think the squad that they assembled, the numbers that they have, the quality that they have, the number of coaches they have it makes sense that what is happening there is very, very positive and they deserve to be there.”

Arteta previously lauded Chelsea as one of the best attacking teams in Europe. When asked whether he thinks this remains the case, he added: “They were [the best last season], the sample now this season is early so it’s difficult to say.

“But it is one of the teams that I enjoy the most watching and they have a lot of fluidity, they have a lot of threat, they have a lot of individual talent.

“They are very clear what they want to do and that’s why they are very tough.”