Former Nigerian international John Mikel Obi, has sounded a note of warning to Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta, and has urged him to step down from his role if he fails to win the English Premier League title at the end of the 2025/26 season.
The Gunners are currently second on the league table, six points behind table-topping Liverpool, who have a game in hand. They went toe-to-toe with champions Manchester City in the previous two seasons narrowly missing out on the title.
Mikel, who won two Premier League titles during his playing days at Chelsea, has suggested that the Gunners head coach needs to resign from his role if he falters at yet another title challenge.
“It’s Liverpool’s to lose. I don’t think Arsenal will win it. If Mikel Arteta doesn’t win the league next season, I think he should leave the football club.
That’s going to be seven seasons and you have spent close to 800 million. I don’t think they are going to win the league this season. If he doesn’t win the league next season, I think he should walk because City are going to be back”, Mikel Obi said.
The 2013 AFCON winner also criticized the Gunners inability to handle the pressure that comes with challenging for the title, citing the previous two seasons where they have failed at the last hurdle.
“I keep saying it yearly they will bottle it. That’s Arsenal, it’s a known fact. Arsenal can’t find a way to win the league.
It is a mental side of things, I think mentally, obviously because they have been fighting with City for the past three years, I think that has drained them because they have not been able to get over the line. They can’t sustain that pressure, we can see that this year”, he added.
“For me, it’s a worry, if he doesn’t win the league next season, I think he should raise his hands and walk. That’s what I believe because that’s going to be his seventh season.”
Shina Oludare is a distinguished sports journalist and managing editor, renowned for his comprehensive coverage of African football. His dedication to elevating African sports on the global stage has earned him widespread respect, along with numerous accolades for his contributions. A graduate of the LaLiga Business School in Madrid, Oludare’s passion for sports and his influential work in African football journalism have established him as a leading figure in the industry.
