Six reasons why Roy Keane could be RIGHT about Arsenal – after claiming there's 'no evidence' they can win the Premier League next season

Although Mikel Arteta refused to surrender after Arsenal’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Sunday, the Gunners’ aspirations for a long-awaited gold medal in the Premier League are more or less on the verge of crashing.

With just 10 games left to be played, the north London side is behind leaders Liverpool by 15 points – despite a match in hand – a huge gap that hasn’t occurred since the Reds’ triumphal pandemic-hit season.

The football world has heard enough of Arsenal entering February empty-handed after fans publicly demanded a new striker, while the team misses huge chances every game. Furthermore, a poor season by Gabriel Martinelli, alongside injuries suffered by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, could lead Arsenal to a third successive second-placed finish in the domestic league.

Many would say the intrigue will survive until Liverpool win the Premier League mathematically. Still, Arne Slot’s band showed in their Champions League clash that they can fight until the last second even if they face 27 shots in total, or Alisson, who has to save the team on nine occasions.

But what about Mikel Arteta’s men? Roy Keane has recently questioned their mentality, adding that there is no evidence that the Spaniard’s side can guarantee a win even next season. The Red Devils’ icon highlighted that Arsenal’s problems are not in the lack of strikers, their injuries and, again, their squad.

Keane outlined the temperance, identity and distinctiveness required in order to only hope for gold. Even if Arteta turns another page to focus on success at the end of the next campaign, there are too many signs hinting that the controversial pundit was right to say there is ‘no evidence’ they could hope for a Premier League triumph in May 2026.

Additional upgrades are necessary in addition to the striker position

Are Arsenal fans sure that when they look at their squad, they see a team winning the Premier League? Keane was right to highlight a significant issue – the Gunners require additional upgrades, initially meant to be considered during the last summer transfer window.

We know many teams playing attacking football without a classic No 9 – Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona or his 2020-21 run with Manchester City, Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain in 2025 – which don’t lack goals and runs into the final third through their wingers’ efforts.

It becomes evident that besides the striker position, Arsenal urgently need to rethink their left flank, which Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard unconfidently occupy. The Brazilian experiences a huge decline in form for his second season in a row, while the former Brighton star proves to be a helpful element in Arteta’s toolkit, but not a player up to the starting lineup of a Premier League winning team.

Ethan Nwaneri is an emerging youngster who truly deserves to be called an upcoming world-class star. He successfully replaced injured Saka, but what would happen if he suffered a setback? The Spanish boss, and his forthcoming sporting director, need to re-consider the fact that you cannot rely on 17-year-old players for an entire 90-minute clash, even if they deliver such a performance as in Eindhoven last week.

Teams that take a backward step rarely win the next season

We saw it on too many occasions when in-form squads, after a campaign marked by hit title hopes, crashed in the next season. The last perfect example was Manchester United and their 2020-21 success, despite a 12-point gap behind rivals led by Pep Guardiola. What happened in the next season is well-documented – a drop to sixth place with 12 defeats in the Premier League.

Liverpool are just another team that shared the same fate. Jurgen Klopp’s band was often hit by a dominant Manchester City that wouldn’t allow any side to get to the first place – even if you reached 92 points at the end of the term. The following year, Liverpool saw a bizarre decline to fifth position and fans’ demands for Fabinho’s exit as well as Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister’s arrivals.

‘The reason I say that is because when I go back to when I was playing for Liverpool and we were going for the league and we had a season where we were really there… if you finish second three seasons in a row it’s hard to sort of keep going again,’ said Jamie Carragher on a recent The Overlap episode.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal has yet to reach a total of 90 points in a season

As already mentioned, a 90-point season cannot guarantee a triumph at the end of it. However, Arteta got close to that only once, during last year’s uneven middle of the campaign from Manchester City.

The Spaniard reached 89 points in 2023-24 – two behind the Citizens – and 84 in 2022-23 – again below Guardiola’s side by five. While Liverpool are about to finish the season with one of the biggest leads in the history of the Premier League, Arteta’s men can reach a maximum of 85 points should they win every game until the end of the season. 

A predictable attack this season

‘Arsenal can’t counter-attack, and when they have the ball in possession in the final third, they can’t really innovate and play through,’ said Gary Neville on his podcast. Although it has been an injury-ridden season, and Mikel Merino was forced to play in the No 9 position, Arsenal are yet to apply some innovative tactics.

Nowadays, football requires movement, pressure, and involvement from every single player. Arteta’s attacking line-up is too predictable and desperate to keep possession of the ball without taking a risk for quick drilling into the opponent’s box.

This would explain why Arsenal scored fewer goals than 13th Premier League-ranked Tottenham this season.

Contract uncertainty over several key players

Alongside fitness problems and a long absence from the pitch, it remains unknown whether Bukayo Saka will return to his stunning form soon. As the clock ticks down, the England international is set to be out of contract in the summer of 2027.

‘I think this is the right club, the right place to make the next step,’ said Saka after he signed his previous deal. Will the Emirates Stadium remain the ‘right place’ after three successive second-place finishes in the Premier League?

The same summer marks the end of deals of the team’s most reliable pair of centre-backs, Gabriel and Saliba. Although it is understood that the club has already held talks with the duo, the players will undoubtedly reconsider their future in the upcoming transfer window. 

Liverpool and Manchester City will not remain inactive this summer

It seems that while Arsenal cheered that their opponent of the past years, Man City, endure a dismal season – which saw them dropping to fifth place – Liverpool has taken the opportunity to outperform them. However, these two sides undeniably will not remain inactive during the upcoming transfer window.

Guardiola’s squad will need a refreshment after several headlines emerged that key stars, such as Kevin de Bruyne, are set to leave the club. Kyle Walker had already seen his departure from AC Milan, and the Citizens have yet to secure a proper replacement in the right back position.

The same applies to Liverpool. Although there is no confirmation yet, Trent Alexander-Arnold is seemingly looking towards the capital of Spain as the Reds’ academy product is out of contract in less than four months. Conor Bradley could witness a promotion to the starting lineup, but the player’s medical history – which showcases more than 50 days missed this season due to muscle and hamstring injuries – could encourage Arne Slot’s side to bring another player to their right defensive flank.