Mikel Arteta's warning for title deadline as Arsenal pressure reaches all-time high

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Gary Neville's assertion that the Premier League belongs to Arsenal is coming under increasing threat. The Manchester United legend has tipped the Gunners to secure the title for four successive years, but it was this campaign where he expressed absolute certainty that the reliability of Mikel Arteta's squad would deliver their first league crown since 2004.

The north London club have dominated the summit since October, and even following a damaging 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in early December , they responded instantly and reeled off five consecutive victories.

Nevertheless, 2026 hasn't been particularly favourable to the Gunners, with merely two league triumphs in eight fixtures. After their most recent setback against Wolves , scrutiny has mounted regarding whether Arsenal can fulfil their Premier League aspirations.

Having established a 2-0 advantage against the Midlands outfit, Hugo Bueno's second-half goal and Tom Edozie's injury-time equaliser saw the Gunners surrender two more points and forfeit the opportunity to extend their advantage at the summit.

It was in October when Neville maintained the 2025/26 season represented Arsenal's moment to claim the title. He said on the self-titled Gary Neville Podcast: "This has got to be them, hasn't it? This has got to be their year.

"This is the fourth season on the bounce that I've had them to win the league, but they're not necessarily miles better, they're repeating their levels of consistency, and that's all they're going to have to do this year to win the league.

"They're not going to have to go and get 100 points, they're not going to have to get even 90 or 95 points to win the league, mid-80s, high 80s will win them this title, and they can do that. I mentioned before about the other teams [being] inconsistent and unreliable, that's not this Arsenal team. They're very reliable. You can trust them."

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Lauding their defensive prowess and robust squad depth, Neville continued: "The way in which they defend is fantastic. They're all around each other. They don't concede goals. They've got a threat up front in multiple areas.

"They've not got a sensational centre-forward, but they've got a battering ram up there as honest as a day's long, and that can work for them. They've got [Eberechi] Eze, they've got so they've got [Noni] Madueke, [Gabriel] Martinelli, [Leandro] Trossard, lots of players who can contribute goals.

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"They've got [Declan] Rice who can obviously deliver in set-pieces. They've got four fantastic full-backs and three excellent centre-backs." The pundit was emphatic in his assessment and insisted even the squad must sense they're drawing nearer to claiming the ultimate honour.

He continued: "So there are a lot of very good things going for Arsenal. It's about making sure now they don't get carried away. It's about making sure they just keep doing the same things. They don't need to do anything spectacular here. Just keep doing your jobs. Keep doing what you do, and you will win this league.

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"It's yours to win. This is your title, Arsenal. I've never really felt that sure before. It's so early in the season, it's madness for someone with the experience that I've got of winning titles to say that, 'It's yours,' but it really is.

"They must feel it themselves. The Arsenal fans must feel it. They must know that this is the moment that Arsenal can get back on top. This is a moment for Mikel Arteta , for these players, for Arsenal to represent themselves as being the best in the country. The chance and the opportunity is there for them, they've got to go and take it."

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.