Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Arsenal are "a million miles off" being capable of challenging for the Premier League title.
The Gunners sit ninth in the Premier League table with nine matches left to play this season.
Mikel Arteta has breathed new life into the club since his appointment but this summer could prove to be huge for the club as he looks to restructure his squad.
A massive concern in the Arsenal squad is their lack of quality in defence, a position that has been a problem area for many years.
Despite the additions of David Luiz, Sokratis and Kieran Tierney, Unai Emery was unable to improve Arsenal's shaky defensive record.
It's that same problem that leaves Merson struggling for cause for optimism and believe the club are further away than ever from winning the Premier League.
"Will Arsenal be challenging for titles soon? Even if Pep Guardiola was in charge, no. Not at the moment," Merson told Sky Sports.
"Arsene Wenger used to say it all the time: it's all about the players. And for Arsenal at the moment, it's not a good enough team, not a good enough squad.
"I like Mikel Arteta, I really do, and I think he'll do better than the last manager Unai Emery, but at the same time, to challenge for the title I think they are a million miles off.
"They can't defend, and if you can't defend, you can't challenge for titles.
"Is there room for much optimism? I'm going to say no, to be honest. I don't know any team that has won anything when they can't defend.
"If you can't defend, you're not going to win anything! It's simple.
"You can't keep scoring three goals every game to nick a point or to only just win a game, so until he tightens that up, they are going to be a million miles off.
"This is going to be a slow, slow journey back for Arsenal."
