Arsenal legend Michael Thomas has insisted the club need to give time to Mikel Arteta in order to allow him to develop his squad at the Emirates Stadium.
The Spaniard has had a tough challenge laid in his path in north London, with the Gunners requiring a significant rebuild to help propel them back to their previous heights.
While there has been numerous setbacks this season, including a premature exit from the FA Cup along with recent defeats to Wolves and Aston Villa, Arteta retains the faith of the club hierarchy.
A difficult run of fixtures over the course of the coming weeks sees Arsenal continue their Europa League campaign as well as tackling both Manchester City and Leicester City in the Premier League.
Poor results in those matches could reignite the pressure upon Arteta and may result in fresh calls for change but Thomas believes he should be provided with time.
As he identified, Jurgen Klopp was given that ability at Liverpool before leading them to glory in both the Champions League and Premier League.
“I was sceptical when he first came in, but to be fair to him there was an instant change in the team," he told TalkSport.
“When he cut out players who weren’t good for the team – I thought to myself ‘I like this man’. It showed he takes no prisoners and stamped down his mark on the team.
“He still hasn’t got his players in and the squad he wants. You’ve got to give Arteta time; people laud Klopp but it took him time to put the team together that he has now.”
