Simon Jordan has revealed what he thinks of Arsenal’s Champions League chances after watching Mikel Arteta’s team against Athletic Club.
Arsenal secured victory in Bilbao, courtesy of two late goals from substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
The Gunners found it difficult for large periods in a hostile San Mames, but eventually proved too good for the La Liga side, thanks to the fresh legs they were able to introduce from the bench.
More challenging fixtures against the likes of Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid await Arsenal in Europe’s elite competition, but Arteta’s side are off to a flying start.
Simon Jordan says he still has plenty of questions about Arsenal’s Champions League chances
Arsenal reached the Champions League semi-final last season, where they were beaten by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
While this was a valiant effort, the narrative around the Gunners is that they now simply have ‘no excuses’ not to go all the way this campaign, or to win the Premier League.
Andrea Berta spent £250 million on eight players in the transfer window, and while this has significantly strengthened Arteta’s squad, it’s also inadvertently heaped pressure on the Spanish manager to deliver.
Speaking about the Gunners’ chances of lifting silverware in Europe this season, Simon Jordan revealed that he still has questions around their ability to beat big teams.
“Will it [squad depth] take them all the way in a competition like this?” Jordan asked on talkSPORT.
“That remains to be seen. So the question that was asked of Arteta was is he brave enough and the question was asked and it was answered by people like Emanuel Petit who played for Arsenal.
“They felt that there were questions still to be asked about them. You can squeeze the life out of average sides. Let’s say you squeeze the life out of top sides and beat them in games in terms of the Liverpools and the opposition you’ve got to overcome to win leagues and Champions leagues, right?
“Not Athletic Bilbao. They ain’t going to be winning the Champions League. They ain’t going to be winning the La Liga. So, what you’re doing is you’re beating the sides that you should beat.”
“Do Arsenal have an aura? I don’t know if they do.”
Arsenal have no issues against big teams
Jordan is letting recency bias impact his thoughts on Arsenal.
While the Gunners did suffer a narrow loss at Anfield against Liverpool before the international break, they have had an excellent record against the big sides in the last two seasons.
Not losing in 22 games against any of the ‘big six’ in the Premier League between April 2023 and August 2025, Arsenal have shown their ability to get excellent results against high quality opposition time and time again.
| Arsenal’s big six record since April 2023 | |
| Matches Played | 23 |
| Wins | 13 |
| Draws | 9 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Goals For | 44 |
| Goals Against | 21 |
This is why they’re well set up to perform excellently in the Champions League again, as they’re able to nullify the top teams, whilst creating just about enough to get past them in knockout competitions.
It’s actually Arsenal’s ability to break down low blocks and defeat lesser sides that has been the achilles heel for them in the last 12 months, and how they fare in these matches will likely determine their overall success.
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