Former Arsenal captain Gilberto Silva rates Gunners’ Premier League chances after record-breaking start to the season

Gilberto Silva believes it is too soon for talk of Arsenal mounting a Premier League title challenge this season.

Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis

The Gunners sit at the summit of English football having won nine of their opening 10 league games – with their only blemish an away defeat to Manchester United in September.

A narrow win over Leeds United on Sunday saw them extend their lead to four points after Manchester City suffered their first defeat of the season away at Liverpool.

It marks Arsenal’s best start to a season in 118 years, a point ahead of the Invincibles in 2003 at the same stage of the season.

Former Arsenal skipper Gilberto was part of the last Arsenal squad to lift the Premier League trophy with that unbeaten side, spending six years in north London under Arsene Wenger. While impressed with the start of the season with the Gunners in a ‘good situation’, he has echoed Mikel Arteta’s sentiments by calling for calm over a title bid.

‘At the moment, Arsenal are playing nice football,’ Gilberto toldMetro.co.uk on behalf of SiteDeApostas.com. ‘However, I think it is a bit early to say they are title challengers but they are in a good situation.

‘I think it is important to compare the last few seasons at this stage, when they were in a very different situation. The table as it stands looks very nice and I hope they keep it that way.’

Premier League sides face a rampant run of fixtures over the next month ahead of the break for the World Cup in Qatar. Arsenal themselves face a run of eight games over 24 days beginning on Thursday with their rearranged Europa League tie away to PSV Eindhoven, followed by the visit of Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

While urging caution over Arsenal’s title chances, Gilberto believes