Wojciech Szczesny makes Arsenal prediction after "really disappointing" end to season

Wojciech Szczesny has labelled Arsenal's failure to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League as "really disappointing", but the former goalkeeper has backed Mikel Arteta to take the club back to the Champions League.

The Gunners missed out on a top-four finish to Tottenham after costly defeats to their north London rivals and Newcastle United in the final weeks of the season. Arteta paid the price for not having enough firepower up front, having allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave for Barcelona on a free transfer, only to fail to sign a replacement in time.

At one stage, the north London club were some distance clear of Spurs, but a hat-trick of consecutive losses at the hands of Brighton, Crystal Palace and Southampton allowed Antonio Conte's side to bridge the gap. It means Arteta's men will play Europa League football next season, which at least represents some progress from the Spaniard's first two seasons when they finished eighth.

Szczesny came through the club's academy and made 181 appearances for the club, before a two-year loan spell at Roma in 2015 was followed by a free transfer move to Juventus in 2017. The Pole still keeps a close eye on his former club, though, and believes Arteta will steer them back to Europe's top tier competition in the next "couple of years"

“As a fan, it was really disappointing. They gave it a good go and nobody would have said before the season started that they had a chance,” Szczesny said.

“They were still in it with two games of the season left. It’s disappointing but they have actually done a good job this year. I can see Mikel’s idea of football, he has a young team so they will be all right. Another couple of years and they will be back in the Champions