Mikel Arteta warned Arsenal will 'definitely' sack him on one condition

Mikel Arteta has been warned it's Premier League glory or bust this campaign by Robert Pires, who reckons Arsenal will "definitely" find a new head coach should they fail to clinch the title this term. Arteta has transformed Arsenal into genuine championship challengers since arriving at The Emirates in late 2019, with the Gunners securing second-place finishes over the past three seasons.

However, the north London outfit's league title drought has now stretched beyond two decades, leaving supporters yearning to witness their beloved club capture the Premier League for the first time since their triumphant 2003-04 season. Arsenal splashed out more than £250million during the summer window in their quest to finally overcome rivals Liverpool and Manchester City for domestic supremacy.

Whilst Pires, a former Arsenal Invincible, is convinced Arteta possesses the squad capable of achieving precisely that, he's cautioned the Spaniard that another failure will almost inevitably lead to his departure next year.

"In my opinion, if Arsenal don't win a trophy this year, the management will consider finding another coach," Pires told Foot Mercato. "He's been there for five years and unfortunately, the title has eluded him. What's important for the fans is the championship.

"Money was spent in the summer transfer window. He made certain demands, which were met by the Arsenal board. If Arsenal don't win the championship, I think there will definitely be a change on the bench.

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"It's not going to be easy because you have Liverpool, you have Man City who are there, Chelsea won't be far behind. But I think Arsenal holds the cards and have the players to win the title."

The Gunners have work to do to catch reigning Premier League champions Liverpool following the opening five matches of the campaign, but managed to narrow the gap at the top to merely two points after fighting back to defeat Newcastle on Sunday.

That outcome, combined with Liverpool's stunning loss to Crystal Palace 24 hours earlier, has allowed Arteta and his squad to close the distance with Arne Slot's side, who had previously beaten them at the end of August.

Arsenal could briefly leap above Liverpool at the Premier League summit on Saturday afternoon when they take on West Ham, before the title holders make the trip to Chelsea later that evening.