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Ray Parlour fears it could take Arsenal THREE YEARS to break back into the Premier League’s top-four.
The Gunners are 11th in the table having won just once in their last four games.
Despite Mikel Arteta’s challenging first full season in management, club legend Parlour wants to see the Spaniard backed in the summer transfer window, but admits Champions League football is far away.
He told talkSPORT: “He’s learned a little bit from Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola as well, but I would give him a chance.
“It might take a couple of transfer windows, look at Jurgen Klopp, he got an opportunity. He came into Liverpool and there was a plan.
“Arteta has got to show he’s got a plan going forward. It might take three years to try to challenge that top four or try to challenge for the league.
“But we know money does make it easier and that’s where the board come in.
“If they think they’ve got the right man, please give him a chance by giving him a little bit more money.”
With Arsenal eight points off a European place with 23 games played, Parlour believes Arteta will field a strong side in their Europa League last-32 clash with Benfica next week.
The Gunners legend believes winning UEFA’s second-tier competition could be the club’s best route back into Champions League football, although the London club face the added challenge of playing two away games in the last-32 against Benfica.
He said: “I don’t think he’ll be playing a weakened side in the Europa League.
“I was in Baku for the Chelsea game [a 4-1 defeat in 2019] and it was probably one of the worst performances I’ve seen in a final.
“Arsenal knew that Chelsea were already in the Champions League, so there was more onus on Arsenal to go there and go ‘this is a massive chance for us to get into the Champions League’.
“We know the result in the game and the disappointment.
“I do think Arteta needs a couple of windows to get his own players in. [Arsenal technical director] Edu is going to be a big part of that.”
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