David Ornstein reports that Arsenal still believe that with time and investment Mikel Arteta will prove the right man for the job in North London.
After a disappointing draw against Slavia Prague that left Arsenal needing to go and get a result away from home in their Europa League quarter-final second leg, the fan discontent was clearly evident.
Despite Arsenal’s position in mid-table, the fans have generally been supportive of Arteta so far. Part of that was because things seemed to be improving, but it was mostly because the Europa League kept a route to Champions League qualification open.
If the Gunners crash out of the Europa League early, which seems very possible, you wouldn’t expect the fans to stay on-side for long. Many are already starting to turn, but David Ornstein claims those in charge at Arsenal don’t yet believe it’s time for a change.
“Arteta is at the centre of a new era for Arsenal that they hope will come to fruition & improve over time,” Ornstein said on Sky Sports News.
“They’re building the project around him, the technical director Edu, the owners the Kroenke’s, they hope that in time & with transfer markets – plural – that Arteta will prove to be the right man for them.
“He clearly needs different players, rejuvenated players; he needs to keep building that squad in a way that is moulded to his desire, otherwise it’s not going to work for Mikel Arteta. From people we speak to, he appears to be very highly rated.
“But I think Arsenal have a lot of work to do in the transfer market, they have some expiring contracts, David Luiz this summer and Alexandre Lacazette the summer after. They need to get the decisions right, the time and patience is running out.”