Former Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has said that Mikel Arteta will return the club to their rightful place in the Champions League if he is given time at the club.
Arteta replaced Unai Emery in the hot seat at the Emirates Stadium in December with the Gunners having had a disappointing first half of the season.
Before the suspension of fixtures due to the coronavirus pandemic Arsenal were in ninth place in the table, eight points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.
The Gunners have shown signs of improvement under the new boss having won their last four Premier League games in a row.
Almunia joined West Ham on loan the year Arteta arrived at the club as a player but has faith in his former teammate to bring success back to the club.
“With Arsenal, as the big club that they are, it's a shame to see them like this. For the history, infrastructure, British and global fans and the attraction in general, they should be in the Champions League and higher up in the league,” he told Marca.
“Sooner or later, they'll be among the best again and I'm sure Mikel will help with that. He was a player not long ago.
“He's shared the dressing room with some of the players he coaches now and he knows what modern football is like and he'll know what the best thing for them is. He has to be given time.”
And the Spaniard is confident that just one trophy will lead to future success.
“With trophies, I imagine it's a question of eras and a big title can break the ice. From there, the players will believe that they can win more and that's momentum,” he added.
