Paul Merson doesn’t think a trophyless season for Arsenal would get Mikel Arteta sacked, despite some interesting comments from Wayne Rooney.

Rooney said this week that Premier League leaders Arsenalwill likely look to replace Arteta if they don’t win the title.

“The squad is good enough now and I think they’ve had the experiences which have got them close, but I think they’re ready for it,” he said.

“If they don’t win it now, you’d probably see a change of manager.”

Arsenal in 2025/26 Premier League: Key statistics

• Only one goal conceded from open play
• Best discipline in the Premier League: nine yellow cards, no reds
• Average 58.3% possession; only Liverpool and Chelsea have more
• Most touches in the attacking penalty area (301)

There is a debate that Arsenal might need to replace Artetawith a proven winner if the Gunners don’t win a major trophy this season.

Clearly an elite rebuilding manager, there will be some awkward conversations about his ability to win the biggest prizes and produce tangible evidence of the club’s incredible rise under his stewardship.

Rooney’s comments were brought up to Arsenal hero Merson, and when asked if the ex-Manchester United striker was correct, he emphasised the importance of context.

“It all depends how it happens, doesn’t it?” Merson told Sky Sports News.

“I mean, you know, they go and get 90-odd points, and then they get pipped, and they got 90 points, and then you go, ‘Well, what can you do, really?’

“You know, Champions League, you might get in the final, the semi-final, goalkeeper comes out, someone goes around, and the ref gives a sending off. There’s there’s ways of losing. There are ways of losing titles and ways of losing games.

“People forget that five years ago, Arsenal were just also-rans. They turned up at the start of the season, had no chance to win in the league, and they had to sweat on getting in the top four to get Champions League. And they had to sweat on that.

“They are massive players in the Premier League, and that’s because of Mikel Arteta.

“What he’s done there, he’s got a team together, and he’s worked with whoever’s come in as a sporting director, and they built a team very quietly. They’ve got two players in every position.”

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Set-Piece FC? Who the f*** cares?

For some reason, Arsenal being strong from set-pieces has become a stick to beat them with.

People think they are over-reliant on them, but if anything, it’s a way to break down teams that are parking the bus in open play, Merson says.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “They’re scoring a lot of set pieces, but every game they’ve played in this season, even at Liverpool, I might be wrong with a Liverpool game, they’ve dominated possession. It’s not like they’re playing with 33/35% possession, week in, week out, and they’re nicking a goal from set plays. They’re dominating the game.

“They’re not probably breaking teams down as much as everybody’s sitting with ten behind the ball against Arsenal. So if they can’t break them down, they’ve always got that set-piece in the armory.

“They are dominating games. I ain’t seen anybody give Arsenal the run around this season yet, and they are dominant. And the reason is teams are sitting ten behind the ball, and that’s why they haven’t scored a lot of goals in open play yet.”

Arsenal are defensive demons and that makes them PL title favourites

Arsenal being so strong defensively has somehow become a negative (or boring) thing. And somehow, Arteta being compared to three-time Premier League winner Jose Mourinho is now a bad thing as well.

Should Arsenal continue to keep clean sheets and limit scoring opportunities, they will win the league at a canter. That really is all that matters, not what Liverpool fans think on X.

“As soon as it goes one-nil, the game’s over,” Merson continued.

“I watched Atletico Madrid when they went one-nil down last week in the Champions League, literally, you could see him just go, ‘Game over’.

“It was exactly the same when I played, I think it was 1990/91 season, where the ‘one-nil to the Arsenal’ came, as soon as we scored and celebrated, we were walking back, and you see the faces of the other team. They knew they were beaten, they knew we can’t win now. That’s it. We’ll either draw the worst way out, and that is what it’s like.

“Arsenal are relentless. They are a machine, an oiled machine, with unbelievable individual players in that team as well, which makes it a terrible cocktail for everybody else.”

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