Arteta warned Arsenal ‘can get relegated’ by Invincible

Ray Parlour insists Arsenal “can get relegated” this season if Mikel Arteta fails to remedy what is a “real problem” at the club.

The 1-1 draw with Southampton on Wednesday means Arteta’s side are 15th in the Premier League, five points above the drop zone.

The 52 players yet to make a Premier League bench

And Invincible Parlour insists they are not too good to avoid the drop, referencing Leicester City’s 2015/16 title triumph as an example of football upsetting the odds.

“Someone asked me the question the other day, can they get relegated?” Parlour told Off The Ball.

“I said, ‘well, probably not,’ but then you look at Leicester winning the league at 5,000-1 and they won it – so they can get relegated.

“If they don’t start picking up points and turning it around then there’s a real problem there.”

Arteta has been under increasing pressure in recent weeks, amid talk of discord in the dressing room.

But Parlour believes it’s far too early to talk about sacking the manager.

“I don’t think Arsenal are a sacking club,” said the former midfielder, who made more than 450 appearances for Arsenal and won nine major trophies, including three Premier League titles.

“Mikel Arteta has been around Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger – he knows as a player the dressing room is so important.

“If there is a problem, he has to deal with it very quickly. If it does get out of control, the only person to lose their job, it’s not the players, it’s the manager straight away.

“Hopefully he can turn that around and make sure he sorts that out very quickly.”