Martin Keown believes that having Unai Emery in the Arsenal dugout hands the Gunners a major advantage over both Chelsea and Manchester United this season.
The Spaniard is preparing for his second year in charge at the Emirates and has made some exciting signings ahead of the new campaign.
Gabriel Martinelli, Dani Ceballos and Nicolas Pepe have all arrived, while the club have also secured the services of talented defender William Saliba, who they then sent back on loan to Saint-Etienne.
Emery will be hoping to break into the top four next season at a minimum, and former defender Keown, talking to Football London, cited by the Metro, believes that the Spaniard’s experience could prove crucial in terms of pipping Chelsea and Manchester United to a Champions League spot.
I don’t feel this year that the top four positions are cemented. Fourth place is definitely vulnerable.
I say that because Chelsea have what we expect to be an outstanding manager but one where nevertheless no-one knows how that journey is going to go. He’s a novice, new to this situation.
The same is true for Solskjaer really. He lost that consistency with the players after a very good start.
In the shape of Emery, Arsenal have a much more experienced manager. Chelsea have lost one or two players. There’s comings and goings at United, huge pressure for them.
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Emery has more managerial knowledge over both Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer combined, which like Keown says, will give Arsenal a major advantage over the Blues and the Red Devils.
He also has a year of Premier League experience under his belt and will be able to learn from mistakes made last season.
Finally, the Spaniard also has the squad to compete next season, especially in an attacking sense, so the Gunners should be aiming for a comfortable top-four finish at a minimum.
It should be one they can manage with ease, however, all Arsenal fans know from previous campaigns to expect the unexpected at the Emirates Stadium.
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