Arsenal tipped to replace Arteta with former captain in 'huge' twist

After a tough start to the season, Mikel Arteta’s future as Arsenal manager continues to spark debate amongst fans and former footballers.

Arsenal would rather have Patrick Vieira as the manager than Mikel Arteta now, claims former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie.

11 points from eight games leave the Gunners down in 12th-place in the Premier League table. They may be only four points adrift of the top four spots but unless results pick up soon, it won’t matter.

Adding to Arteta’s woes was the 2-2 draw with Vieira’s Palace. Arsenal’s former legendary captain faced his old team as a manager for the first time on Monday and almost left with all three points.

“From what I hear, the fans were all singing for Vieira,” McAvennie told Football Insider.

“Palace outplayed them on Monday. They were so unlucky to not take all three points. Now, a year ago, Palace outplaying Arsenal would be unthinkable. How long has Vieira been there? 16 weeks?

“No disrespect to Arteta, but Vieira has done everything he hasn’t. Palace are playing on the front foot and they look like they are enjoying themselves.

“That is a huge thing in football for me. I don’t see any Arsenal players enjoying themselves. That spells trouble for me. A club like Arsenal should not be getting dominated by Palace. That’s no disrespect to Palace by the way. I think Arsenal would rather have Vieira now.”

The Gunners return to action on Friday night for a Premier League game against Aston Villa. For full match details and betting tips, check out the link here.