“This has to be the year”: Emmanuel Eboué on Arsenal’s title chances

We’re beyond the halfway mark in the Premier League and Arsenal’s destiny remains in their own hands despite two successive draws, thanks to Manchester City and Aston Villa’s inability to close the gap. The Gunners have a seven-point lead over Manchester City in second place and expectations among supporters continue to grow.

Former Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboué believes this season represents a defining moment for the club. Speaking candidly to AceOdds, Eboué shared his thoughts on the title race, the demands of Arsenal fans, the balance within the squad, and the major tests that lie ahead, including challenging fixtures against Inter Milan and Manchester United.

This is Arsenal’s year

Asked whether Arsenal can finally end their long wait for a Premier League title, Eboué was confident, despite admitting they can still get better.

“They have to do more, because the game against Forest could have been better. But I am 100% sure that this season is going to be Arsenal's season. When Arsenal are dropping points, Man City are not capitalising.”

“So, I think this year is going to be the year for Arsenal. Of course, if Arsenal doesn't win any trophy, the fans will be very disappointed. I have some friends who are Arsenal fans and they are always saying that this year has to be the year.”

“If they don't win, the fans will be disappointed, but I wouldn’t worry, as I think they have enough.”

The Gunners return to Premier League action at home to Manchester United on Sunday, and they are currently priced at 8/13 to pick up the win. If you fancy backing them, you can use our free bet calculator to see how much you could stand to earn.

Premier League should be the priority

When asked which trophy matters most to Arsenal supporters, the Ivorian was clear that the Premier League tops the list.

“For the fans, the Premier League trophy is the most important one, and while the others are important, this one is certainly the priority. They haven't won it for a long time, so this year it is very important for both the fans and the club.”

“Winning other cups would be a bonus, but the league is the best thing to win for the fans. They will be happy if they win the Champions League, but I think they will be more happy if they win the league.”

“If Arsenal win the league, they are going to be more than just happy.”

Eboué praised Mikel Arteta’s progress at the club but stressed that expectations are tied to winning, citing his time under Arsene Wenger and how fans were disappointed towards the end of the Frenchman’s reign.

“Arteta has done good things for the club, but as a fan you want to win the trophy. When Arsene Wenger was there, they were happy when he won the Premier League, but in the long run they wanted to change him because they wanted to win the league.”

“This year, the fans are expecting the club to win the league. The players need to do a bit more to get it over the line though.”

Arsenal still need to be wary of City fightback

With Manchester City dropping unexpected points this season, the former Ivory Coast international feels Arsenal must seize every opportunity.

“Man City have a good squad, but they are making a lot of mistakes this season. It has been very difficult for them to win, even against the small teams. Arsenal have to take advantage of this and Arsenal have to win all their games.”

“The reason why they have to do more is also because I think that City will try to fight back.”

Gyokeres needs to be fed in the box

While Arsenal are in a good position in the league, starting striker Viktor Gyokeres has failed to hit the form that prompted the Gunners to bring him over from Sporting CP. In Eboué’s view, the Swede needs better service from his teammates, but he also needs to communicate that in training sessions and during games.

“I watched him a lot when he played in Portugal and he is a very good striker. He is strong, but the problem is that the wingers don't use him often enough. All of them want to score, but he is the striker. His job is to score.”

“Henry always told me, Clichy, Ashley Cole and all the other guys, that he was the striker. He needed to score. He told us that he knew we wanted to score, but our job was not to score. Our job was to produce chances.”

“At training we always tried our best to give Henry confidence. We fed him, and they need to do that. He is a good striker. He needs more confidence, so his teammates need to help him.”

Arsenal face tough tests against Inter and United

Looking ahead, the ex-Galatasaray man outlined the challenges Arsenal face in their upcoming fixture list.

“Inter at home are very strong and they’ve had the same players for a few years. They’re very, very strong from the goalkeeper to the attack. The game will be difficult for Arsenal but if they play against Inter the same way they played Bayern Munich, they can do it. Arsenal are first so they can beat Inter.”

“We saw United and the way they were motivated against Manchester City. I didn’t expect them to play like that. Now, they have a good team and they’re ready to fight for the club so Arsenal will have to be at their best to win the game. They have to give their very best. I don’t think it will be easy.”

Ethan Nwaneri should not be loaned out

Hale End product Ethan Nwaneri had a breakout 2024-25 season, scoring nine goals and assisting two across all competitions. This season, however, his opportunities have been limited, with the highly-touted youngster only clocking 515 minutes of game time.

Marseille are considering bringing him on a loan spell for the remainder of the season, but Eboué has advised against it. In his view, Nwaneri’s game time is limited because of a “win now” situation for Arteta, and this will improve next season. He also warned young players against pushing too early for a loan spell as it can affect their career trajectory.

"You know Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly as young players, they want to show Arsenal players their quality and that they can play. I know that."

"This year it will be very difficult for them to get game time as Arsenal want to win the trophies. Arteta, as I said, won't risk things too much and he will play the guys who are available to play."

"They have to be patient. They have to learn how to do their best with whatever minutes they get this year. And I think next year it will be good for them."

"Some young players rush too much because they want to play and ask their club to go on loan. So I think for them, they should stay and learn more playing under Arteta."

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