Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has delivered a glowing assessment of Mikel Arteta's current squad, claiming the team has never looked as strong as they do now and drawing direct comparisons with the club's legendary title-winning sides under Arsene Wenger.
Title-Winning Mentality Returns to North London
The Gunners are enjoying a dominant period, sitting six points clear at the Premier League summit ahead of a pivotal weekend clash between rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. Their impressive form included a ten-match winning streak across all competitions and a perfect start to their Champions League campaign before Saturday's 2-2 draw with a resilient Sunderland side.
Keown, who won three Premier League titles with Arsenal, told BBC Sport that the current team's characteristics strongly remind him of Wenger's successful eras. 'The way Arsenal are behaving at the moment reminds me very much of the Arsene Wenger teams I won three Premier League titles with,' Keown stated. 'In those teams, it was done from a strong base and Mikel Arteta’s side has got a similar look about it, very similar characteristics, if not better in some ways.'
Midfield Maestros Earn High Praise
While Arsenal's defensive record has captured significant attention this season – they recently equalled a 122-year-old club record with eight consecutive clean sheets – Keown reserved special praise for the engine room of the team.
He singled out summer signing Martin Zubimendi, who joined from Real Sociedad for £60 million, for the highest possible acclaim. 'In front of them, Zubimendi is as good as anything I’ve seen in Europe,' Keown declared.
Alongside the Spanish Euro 2024 winner, Keown compared Declan Rice to a Manchester United and England icon. 'And then Declan Rice, he’s like the modern day Bryan Robson,' he said. 'He’s up and down the pitch. The distance he’s covering is ridiculous, not to mention the quality on the delivery.'
The Final Hurdle: Converting Quality into Silverware
Despite the evident quality throughout the squad, Keown identified the one element missing from this team's CV: major trophies. Arsenal have finished as runners-up in the Premier League for the past three consecutive seasons but now appear better placed than ever to end their 22-year wait for the title.
'The only thing missing from their CV is trophies,' Keown acknowledged. 'We can see with our own eyes how good the defence is. If they could be champions, they reach that elite level alongside these past title-winning teams.'
Using a powerful analogy, Keown described the title race as a 'tug-of-war', with Arsenal currently pulling hardest. 'At the moment, Arsenal are pulling hard in that tug-of-war, and they’re toppling their opponents,' he explained. 'They’ve sent a huge message that they’re in the race here. They’re massively in this race.'
With Chelsea currently in second place and both Manchester City and Liverpool having the opportunity to close the gap, Keown believes Arsenal's emphatic form has woken up their rivals, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the season.
