Gary Neville thought Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was getting sacked last season

Gary Neville admits he thought Arsenal’s failure to finish in last season’s Premier League top four could have been ‘terminal for Mikel Arteta’.

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The Gunners have failed to reach the top four the the past six seasons, finishing fifth in 2021-22 after a late collapse handed the final Champions League spot to north London rivals Tottenham.

Mikel Arteta’s side were thumped 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 12, which put Spurs one point behind them with two games to play.

But the Gunners would go on to lose to Newcastle four days later and despite victory over Everton on the final day, it was not enough as Tottenham held their nerve with wins over Burnley and Norwich.

‘I’ve always had a respect for Arsenal as a football club,’ Neville told The Overlap.

‘They’re one of the great traditional clubs in this country. However, the last few years has been a struggle.

‘I remember at the end of last season, me and Jamie Carragher thought that it could be terminal for Mikel Arteta.’

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Neville, however, lauded Arteta for turning things around at the Emirates, with Arsenal top of the Premier League after their opening nine games of 2022-23.

‘I was at the Emirates stadium for the first time on Sunday against Liverpool,’ Neville added.

‘I watched Arsenal away at Old Trafford and at Brentford, and they played well at Old Trafford – even though they lost – and they were brilliant at Brentford, but the atmosphere felt a little bit different on Sunday – it was unbelievable.

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>ðï¸ “I don’t think they’ll win the league, let’s be really clear” Gary Neville says