Arteta sack fears hurtle onto Arsenal agenda as Ornstein admits ‘the intention is clear’ | OneFootball

Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium has cranked up the pressure on Mikel Arteta, with talk that a dramatic four trophy collapse could lead to the sack, and while a former Gunners star claims it is “disrespectful, he has explained why that is a possible outcome this summer.

Just a month ago, Arsenal were challenging for four trophies, having opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League and having reached the quarter-finals of both the FA Cup and Champions League. But a somewhat unexpected defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final has seemingly put the fear into Arsenal, who have now lost four of their last six games.

While progress has been made in the Champions League and they will now face Atletico Madrid for a place in the final, they have been dumped out of the FA Cup by Championship Southampton and, most worryingly of all, now face the prospect of losing their place at the top of the Premier League table.

And following Sunday’s monumental 2-1 setback at the Etihad Stadium, the Gunners will be usurped as Premier League leaders if Manchester City claim a win at Burnley on Wednesday night.

Now, for the first time in a number of years, Arteta suddenly finds his future as Arsenal manager called into question, and a dramatic collapse across four major competitions would lead to serious questions over his position.

Speaking before Sunday’s crucial game, journalist David Ornstein admits the Spaniard is now feeling the heat and suspects the 44-year-old could lose his job if they miss out on the Premier League and the Champions League.

“I’m sure Arsenal want Arteta to continue into next season and beyond (he’s contracted until June 2027 at present), while it sounds from Arteta’s own words as though he wants the same,” Ornstein said in Q&A for The Athletic.

“If things go badly for them between now and the summer, I’m sure there will be some very difficult conversations, and it would be naive of me to say I can’t see a world in which he departs – nothing surprises you in football and (for various reasons) I would say that about pretty much every Premier League club at the moment.

“So, the intention is clear – but obviously there is a lot riding on the weeks ahead.”

Arsenal sack talk branded disrespectful and inappropriate

Former Gunners star Nigel Winterburn feels the timing of question marks over Arteta’s future is both inappropriate and disrespectful while the title race is still ongoing, but concedes they will inevitably crank up if the Gunners do fall apart.

“To me, it’s not even something that I really even want to entertain because I think that’s very disrespectful to Arteta,” Winterburn told HFM X.

“I think it’s also disrespectful to the club to be talking about a manager that could present something to Arsenal that they haven’t had for a long time.

“I think most clubs will have a review at the end of the season. Depending on whether Arsenal win anything, what they do, they’ll then look internally too, like always, not only at staff, but they’ll also look at players and where they can improve again.

“So it’s very interesting from three weeks ago how people were thinking to how they’re thinking now.

“Any talk about Arteta, I think, is so disrespectful at this stage of the season. Get to the end of the season. If it doesn’t happen, then I agree, I think there will be a lot of things to answer as to why it went wrong. But we don’t know if that’s going to happen. That’s something I refuse to discuss at the moment.”

Jamie Carragher also thinks the Arsenal board will have a big decision to make if they go another season without silverware.

“I’m a massive fan of Mikel Arteta, I think he’s a brilliant manager. The job he’s done, to get Arsenal where they are,’ Carragher told Sky Sports.

“Let’s not forget, for a good few years, it was them and Tottenham fighting for the Champions League positions.

“They made this jump to compete with Manchester City, and they followed it up again last season. And they’re the team that have pushed Liverpool this season.

“This season felt like it should have been their season. There’s no doubt next season that the pressure will be on Mikel Arteta massively in terms of winning something and winning something big.

“The Arsenal board, if they don’t do that [win a major trophy], will have a massive issue because they won’t want to change their manager, but there will be that many people saying: five or six years without a trophy.

‘They will be looking at how many managers can make that next step.’

‘The problem with changing Mikel Arteta because, as I said, he’s done a brilliant job at Arsenal,’ he added.

“Arsenal could easily become what Chelsea are right now. They could go from a team coming second year in, year out to a team that doesn’t actually get into the Champions League.

“That’s the big conundrum that Arsenal as a football club will have in 12 months, if Arsenal go close again but don’t actually get across the line.”

More Arteta question marks as Rio Ferdinand discusses successors

In addition to Ornstein, The Mirror’s John Cross also believes Arteta’s future will be on the line if the Gunners fail to deliver under Arteta this season, as he looked ahead to what could be a bruising end-of-season finale.

With regards to potential successors, Rio Ferdinand has warned Arsenal supporters calling for Arteta’s head over appointing an elite-level replacement during the same summer in which Manchester United are also looking for a new manager, while naming the only three coaches who would reject a switch to Old Trafford over The Emirates.

In other news, Carragher has joined the growing gloom surrounding the Gunners, suggesting they now have no chance of winning the Champions League, despite reaching the last four of the competition for the second successive season.