EPL: Arteta could leave Arsenal before next season – Gary Neville

Former Manchester United captain, Gary Neville, has claimed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could decide to leave the club, despite the recent progress at the Emirates.

The Gunners are the favourites to finish in fourth place this season, as they sit three points above fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur with 10 fixtures left.

That would represent a remarkable turnaround, after Arsenal sat bottom of the Premier League table after losing their first three matches without scoring a goal.

But Neville feels Arteta may decide to leave ahead of next season even if they finish fourth, as the North London side are “not going to compete” with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

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“I really like Mikel Arteta, I think he’s a brilliant coach. I think the team is fantastic in terms of the young players they’ve got,” Neville said at a Sky Sports fan debate.

“But it’s interesting when you’re in a cycle of a club and you depress the ambition and have a significant period of failure because you then get really happy about finishing fourth.

“I found myself saying that about Manchester United. But it’s because of a depressed ambition.

“I think Mikel Arteta is a good operator. My concern is if Arsenal finish fourth this season – which to be fair, I think is 50/50, I still think there’s a long way to go in that race – but if they finish fourth, that’s in some ways as good as it gets.

“You’ve got Pep [Guardiola], [Jurgen] Klopp, Man United, Chelsea, where can Arsenal go? They’re not going to compete.

“Mikel Arteta is a brilliant coach, I love that we’re seeing a team that he’s getting the maximum out of, I can see exactly how he wants to play, we all can.

“But he gets to fourth [and] if he was really hard about it, he’d probably say “right, that’s the best I can do there, I’m going now and getting my next job.”