Invincible legend says Arsenal now have the strongest squad in the club’s history | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes the current Arsenal team has reached a level of strength, depth and unity that rivals anything he experienced during his own trophy-winning era, including the historic Invincibles season.

Speaking after Arsenal’s thrilling Champions League victory over previously unbeaten Bayern Munich, the former midfielder said the club has rarely been in a healthier position, on or off the pitch.

“It’s brilliant what Arsenal are doing now,” Parlour said. “I’m really, really pleased for the club. You can see the fan base is really getting behind them, and that they have such a good side now.”

The win over previously unbeaten German giants Bayern continued Arsenal’s impressive European run and, for Parlour, highlighted one of the team’s defining characteristics: depth.

He believes this is the first Arsenal squad in decades where every position has genuine competition, a quality he insists his own generation never enjoyed.

Speaking as an ambassador for NetBet Sports Betting he added: “I’ve not seen a group of players with this depth. You can go back two or three players in every position and people aren’t playing. From the bench against Bayern you had players coming on like Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, you’ve got Gabi Martinelli and they all made a difference.”

Two of those substitutes, Madueke and Martinelli, scored after coming on, while Riccardo Calafiori provided an assist moments after entering the pitch. For Parlour, moments like that show why Arsenal are now better equipped than ever for the demands of top-level football.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a better squad for a long, long time,” he added. “Even my era, when we went unbeaten and won the Double, we had a lot fewer players. But this squad, there are two in every position. They’re really strong.”

Parlour credits manager Mikel Arteta for creating a culture in which every player understands their role and accepts rotation as part of a collective ambition. In an era of packed schedules across multiple competitions, he says that unity is priceless.

“I think he’s got it through to the players that everybody’s going to play their part,” he explained. “There are so many games in the season, and everybody wants to stay healthy. I’ve not even mentioned Ethan Nwaneri, Max Dowman. You’ve got so many good young players coming through. Then there are experienced pros such as Christian Norgaard. But the most important thing is that everybody’s together.”

For Parlour, the scenes at full time, substitutes sprinting onto the pitch to celebrate, staff embracing players, smiles all around, reflect the internal harmony Arteta has built.

“You can’t have people going a different way,” Parlour said. “It looks like the team spirit is fantastic. The subs are on the pitch congratulating the team, the staff are right behind everybody. It’s a good place to be. When they walk into the training ground this morning, everyone’s smiling.”

With the side topping both the Premier League and Champions League tables and Bayern beaten, Parlour believes Arsenal can now shift greater focus onto the Premier League while still competing strongly in domestic cups.

“They’ve done their job in the Champions League,” he said. “They’re in the latter stages of the league phase and can concentrate on the league now. The League Cup is still going, Crystal Palace in the quarter-final, and the FA Cup starts in January. There are plenty of opportunities.”

While Leandro Trossard’s injury is “a shame”, Parlour says Arsenal’s depth softens the blow. “Even then they can bring in Madueke or Martinelli and still be really strong. Amazing.”

For Parlour, there is no doubt. This is the strongest, deepest squad Arsenal have ever assembled. And if they continue on this trajectory, the club’s modern era may yet define a new footballing legacy.