Gabby Agbonlahor feels Arsenal have the strongest squad in the Premier League after signing Eberechi Eze.
The Gunners will have spent in excess of £250 million this summer once the deal for Eze materialises.
The Crystal Palace man will become Andrea Berta’s seventh signing of the summer, joining the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi through the door at the Emirates.
Now boasting outstanding depth in almost every position on the pitch, the pressure will be on Mikel Arteta to finally deliver major silverware to N5.
Gabby Agbonlahor thinks Mikel Arteta should be sacked if Arsenal don’t win the Premier League this season
Eze is currently undergoing his medical ahead of a £68 million switch from Crystal Palace.
The Englishman will compete for a place on the left-hand side of Arsenal’s attack, and is expected to ultimately usurp the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in Arteta’s pecking order.
Agbonlahor thinks Eze is an ‘outstanding’ signing, claiming that the acquisition will lead the Gunners to the Premier League title.
The former Aston Villa striker has now gone a step further, revealing his belief that the arrival of the 27-year-old gives Arteta the best squad in the English top flight.
He believes that because of the strength of this ensemble, the Spaniard should lose his job if Arsenal don’t win the title.
“I don’t want to hear no excuses,” Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT.
“If [Bukayo] Saka is out for two or three months, no excuses, you’ve got [Noni] Madueke. If Martinelli is out, you’ve got Trossard and Eze. If Declan Rice or [Martin] Odegaard are out, you’ve got [Ethan] Nwaneri and [Mikel] Merino.
“There’s no excuses now, I don’t want to hear about injuries. Come the end of the season, big decisions have got to be made. You can’t spend £1 billion in five years and have one FA Cup to show for it. Not good enough. Any other manager would be out.
“I think they will [win the league] because when you read out the quality that they’ve got there, they’ve got no excuses. I think as a squad of players, Arsenal have the best squad of players now.”
The context of the Premier League season will determine Mikel Arteta’s fate
While Agbonlahor is right in that Arteta should now deliver based on the squad he’s been given, the pundit’s argument requires more nuance.
It shouldn’t be as cut-and-dried as the ex-Villa star makes out, with the context around the season mattering.
If Arsenal finish the campaign on over 90 points but still miss out on the title, Arteta shouldn’t be axed and the season shouldn’t be deemed a failure.
Ultimately, this would be the Gunners’ best ever points tally, and they’d only be miraculously beaten to the elusive piece of silverware by a remarkable team.
The Spaniard would have done everything in his power to coach an exceptional team, and there would be little to suggest that there are many managers in world football who could do a better job.
Equally, if Arsenal finish a point off the champions but on 75 points, then question marks will certainly be asked, unless Arteta has to deal with another unprecedented injury crisis.
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