Invincible Ray Parlour believes Arsenal are only two players away from bettering Manchester City.
And the former Gunners star is calling on technical director Edu to sign the striker and central midfielder required for them to make the final leap next season. With City sealing an unprecedented fourth consecutive title on the final day, talk has immediately shifted to how Arsenal can get over the final hurdle.
Parlour is convinced that Mikel Arteta is the best man to mastermind a way past Pep Guardiola ’s juggernaut - but recruitment is key if they are to end the two-decade wait to be champions.
“No one remembers second. I came second a number of times and don’t remember it myself,” Parlour said. “All I can say is that Arsenal have improved, that’s the most important thing.
“I saw Edu on Sunday and told him he’s got some great young players, you’ve got to keep them and add a midfielder - they’ve got to try and sign one this summer - and a striker. As much as [Kai] Havertz has done a great job in the end, a striker is very important.”
Parlour has been struck by the connection between players and supporters and says Arteta’s knowledge of how Guardiola works can still be used to their advantage. He sees similarities between their squads and thinks this campaign ultimately came down to golden boot winner Erling Haaland.
“Mikel Arteta is the man who can do it,” he added. “He knows how Pep thinks and he’s trying to get that same mould plus a little bit of Arsene Wenger. Look at Arsenal’s squad and it’s similar to City’s. It’s not far away, minus Haaland. If Arsenal had him maybe they would have won the league this year.
“It’s not too far away but Edu has got to maybe look this summer and see who’s available, who can make the squad better. Arsenal is an attractive club again and I’m sure a lot of players will want to go there.”
Parlour thinks the squad will look back on dropped points against Aston Villa and Fulham as the defining moments. Except by taking the race down to the wire they have fought off questions about mental fragility - even if expectations will be raised further come August.
“They have to go again,” Parlour added. “The bar is higher again next season. They need to keep getting to that bar. I’ve been very impressed with them but credit to Man City. To win four titles in a row is unbelievable and they have magnificent players.
“It’s going to be difficult but Arsenal need to keep this squad, add a couple and then they will have a chance again.”
Parlour was speaking on behalf of a promotion in the style of a Race Across The World ahead of Saturday's Emirates FA Cup final. "We got four pairs of fans from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle," he said. "And they had loads of little challenges to complete in the fastest time they could. It was a really fantastic idea, a really nice thing to do."
Emirates has challenged fans to travel from their favourite team’s stadium to the Emirates airport check-in desk in the quickest time. Along the way they met footballing legends, answered fan-focused quizzes and harnessed the need for speed. Find out which fans completed the challenge in the quickest time, winning tickets to the Emirates FA Cup Final and a trip to Dubai.
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