Is Arteta’s Arsenal stuck in neutral or ready to click into gear?

The Gunners are in the middle of an overhaul even as they fight for a top-four finish. While some critics point to the results and say the club has not moved forward, other observers feel the manager’s long-term plan has shown signs of working and needs to be backed

The last time Arsenal finished in the top four was in 2015-16. It was also the last time the North London club had a shot at making a play for the Premier League title, eventually finishing second in Leicester’s miracle season. Since that runner-up position, Arsenal has placed fifth, sixth, fifth, eighth and eighth under three managers: Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.

To be fair to the Gunners, they have managed to win trophies in this period — two FA Cups (and two Community Shields), which when added to the two FA Cups and two Community Shields they claimed between 2013-14 and 2015-16 give the fans something to smile about. Especially since some of their rivals haven’t got their hands on any silverware. But there is no disputing the fact that in the league, Arsenal hasn’t been able to sustain top-four quality through a season. It has been overrun by clubs with deeper pockets, smarter strategies and more resilient wills.

Wenger’s final years were a difficult period. He had guided the club through more than a decade of financial tightening to pay off the new stadium’s debt, with a vision of competing for the title again, boosted by the increase in ticket revenue. But the footballing and financial landscape changed. Clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City found new billionaire owners willing to invest heavily. Although Wenger ended Arsenal’s trophy drought, the team slipping out of the top four twice in successive seasons led to a parting of ways. The football under Emery never captured the imagination of fans accustomed to Wengerball. When the results began to dip, he was afforded little patience. It was under these circumstances that Arteta took over.