Martin Keown says £60m Arsenal star is ‘as good as anything I’ve seen’

Martin Keown says Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have ‘never looked as strong as they do now’ and are benefitting from a strong summer transfer window.

The Gunners, bidding to win their first Premier League title since 2004, are six points clear at the top of the table ahead of Sunday’s huge clash between Manchester City and Liverpool.

Arsenal won ten games in a row – enjoying a perfect start to the Champions League – before Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland.

Arteta said he had a ‘pain in his stomach’ after Sunderland’s injury-time equaliser but a point at the Stadium of Light is not a disaster given the Black Cats’ brilliant start to the season.

Keown believes his former club have ‘sent a huge message’ out to their title rivals since the start of the season and says Arteta’s side are ‘reminding him’ of Arsene Wenger’s title-winning teams.

While Arsenal’s absurdly tight defence has stolen headlines this season, Keown has been just as impressed with the midfield, comparing Declan Rice to a Manchester United legend and heaping praise on Martin Zubimendi.

‘The way Arsenal are behaving at the moment reminds me very much of the Arsene Wenger teams I won three Premier League titles with,’ Keown told BBC Sport.

‘In those teams, it was done from a strong base and Mikel Arteta’s side has got a similar look about it, very similar characteristics, if not better in some ways.

‘The Gunners equalled a 122-year-old club record by keeping their eighth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions [against Slavia Prague last week].

‘But you don’t want to be the best statistically, defensively, like we were in 1999 and still not be champions. You’ve got to be better in all areas.

‘The back four takes a lot of strength from all the plaudits and the talk about how this team is so good defensively because as a defender, you don’t really grab the headlines.

‘In front of them, [Martin] Zubimendi is as good as anything I’ve seen in Europe. And then Declan Rice, he’s like the modern day [ex-Manchester United and England captain] Bryan Robson.

‘He’s up and down the pitch. The distance he’s covering is ridiculous, not to mention the quality on the delivery.

‘The only thing missing from their CV is trophies. We can see with our own eyes how good the defence is.

‘If they could be champions, they reach that elite level alongside these past title-winning teams.’

Zubimendi has quickly developed into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League since his £60m summer move to Arsenal.

Liverpool almost signed the Spain Euro 2024 winner 12 months prior to his move to north London, while Real Madrid rivalled Arsenal for a deal in the previous transfer window.

Arteta’s side have finished as runners-up for the past three seasons but look well placed to lift the Premier League trophy for the first time since in 22 years.

Club World Cup champions Chelsea are currently second but both Man City and Liverpool can leapfrog the Blues with a victory at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

‘In the past, I’ve described it like a tug-of-war,’ Keown added on the title race. ‘When you win and they lose, the rope comes your way, and if they win and you lose, it goes the opposite way.

‘At the moment, Arsenal are pulling hard in that tug-of-war, and they’re toppling their opponents. Because when you win emphatically – like they’re doing in all competitions – everyone’s looking at their opponent.

‘That’s all Arsenal are doing at the moment, they’ve sent a huge message that they’re in the race here. They’re massively in this race.

‘Now you’re going to see the other teams wake up. So we’re in for a cracking rest of season.’

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