Arsenal legend Martin Keown admits he cannot believe how far his former club has fallen.
They are marooned in mid-table, the North London derby is now just playing for pride and it is a far cry from the glory days when Keown won trophies galore.
But Keown is convinced that Arsenal do have the right man in Mikel Arteta to revive their fortunes - but will need huge backing from the owners to
Ex-Arsenal defender Keown, who won seven major trophies in two spells at the club, said: “Nobody expected Arsenal to be this low, it is a club steeped in history and it is the third most successful club in England with what it has achieved.
“When you look back, Unai Emery finished fifth in the table and Arsene Wenger finished in the top four 20-odd times, then fifth and sixth in the last two seasons.
“We are quite a bit lower than that, but I think everyone is recognising that this is a period now where this is a bit of a lull.
“There will be a level of patience but they won't wait forever – but sometimes if you get the right man in the building, and I think Arteta is that, they have got to be patient and back him this summer to let him put more pieces into the jigsaw puzzle.
“He is in a results business and when you lose to Spurs, the fans are on your back so this is as much about keeping people on board, beating Spurs at the weekend is a game about pride and looking to the future.”
Keown, talking as an ambassador for the FA and McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards, also believes the squad will need huge rebuilding having already undergone a major overhaul with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Sokratis and Shkodran Musfafi all having been moved on.
Double winning defender Keown believes they may need the sort of top quality arrivals this summer that Wenger ushered in when he first took charge but he also wants to see young talent given more of a chance.
“Is the money going to be available?” said Keown. “Because the team is crying out for investment and in the summer there are some big decisions that have to be made because a lot of the guys have already gone and the places are there now for the replacements.
“I feel there are parallels now from where the club was when Arsene Wenger first took over. That big summer he had when he brought in Overmars, Vieira, Petit, those guys came into the team and made a massive difference and boost for the squad.
“The young players are the strength of the team. Smith-Rowe, Saka, they’ve been outstanding and Tierney looks nailed on. One by one, the pieces are coming together very slowly. I like Gabriel, I like Thomas Partey and I like the style of signing and they are more physical.”
Keown also believes that Sunday could be one of the biggest derbies in recent years… because of what is at stake. But he insisted Tottenham must win trophies to be considered a big club.
He added: “I don’t know if I can remember a more important derby game. There’s only seven points between them so if Arsenal can win this one it’s only four points. So now it’s becoming more even and we’re at a time to see if Mourinho can win their first trophy since 2008.
“If you want to be a big club, you’ve got to win trophies, haven’t you? No one is disputing the size of Spurs or the quality of their group. But now is the time that they desperately need to win something. And Arsenal are very much about rebuilding to get back to that.”
Arsenal legend Martin Keown is launching nominations for the 2021 FA & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards. To nominate your grassroots hero, go to www.mcdonalds.co.uk/awards
