Roy Keane insists Arsenal missed their ‘big chance’ to return to the Champions League when they collapsed last season… and warns Mikel Arteta centre-backs Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes are ‘soft’ and ‘unconvincing’
Roy Keane thinks Arsenal will miss another Champions League place
The Gunners finished fifth last season, one point behind their rivals Tottenham
The 50-year-old pundit attacked defenders Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes
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Roy Keane has cast doubt on Arsenal’s top four ambitions for the new Premier League campaign, saying the group is ‘soft’.
The Gunners just missed Champions League football by one point last season, and with their young players now more experienced, Mikel Arteta’s group should have hope this time around.
But the former Manchester United captain doesn’t think the North London side has what it takes at the moment.
Roy Keane said he doesn’t believe Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal has what it takes to finish top four
Keane told Sky Bet“The way they ended the season would have been a big setback for them. The manager, the young players who came through, did well, but came up short. They will be greatly disappointed.
“But Arsenal should be battling for the top four, so to come up short and finish under Tottenham is a hammer blow for them.”
The 50-year-old Irishman, in his criticisms of 24-year-olds Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes centre-back, said they are unconvincing.
“Okay, they’re young and sometimes you need experienced guys to get you over the line in the big games,” Keane said.
Keane has said Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White are ‘unconvincing’ as centre-backs
Arsenal had no European commitments last season, but despite only focusing on the Premier League, they were unable to improve on Antonio Conte’s Spurs. Keane said it was a “great opportunity” which the Gunners failed to take.
Keane highlighted a 2-0 defeat in May as one of the reasons for not achieving that coveted top four finish in 2021-22.
“They were poor,” Keane noted. “The game against Newcastle was a real blow to them, where they never showed. The manager was quite critical of them after the game, some of the players were seniors, so you wouldn’t bet on Arsenal to finish in the top four next season.”
He told the panel, which includes Jeff Stelling and Graeme Souness, that he believes his old club United would get ‘better’ after a period of underperforming, while Spurs will be ‘stronger’ this time.
Arteta’s Gunners travel to South London to face Crystal Palace in the opening game of the Premier League on Friday night.
Arteta hopes to go one step further than last year and get the Gunners into the Champions League