14 May 2025
Speaking exclusively to Genting Casino, Premier League legend William Gallas had admitted that Mikel Arteta is on his last chance to win major silverware with Arsenal.
Gallas has also tipped Alexander Isak to reach new levels should he leave Newcastle for the Emirates and told Chelsea to avoid making a big mistake with Cole Palmer.
The former France defender has also explained how Leny Yoro reminds him of Rio Ferdinand and can go on to be one of the best defenders in world football.
Q: Is there pressure on Mikel Arteta?
WG: “I thought Arsenal would win the Premier League for so many reasons, unfortunately it didn’thappen and I think it was down to the players not having the personality to be consistent in every game.
“To win the Premier League, consistency is the main thing. Across those 38 games you have to have a squad that is ready for the intensity and the physicality.
“You need players with personality and to show what they can do every week. In the last two seasons, Arsenal were on the right path, even in December things were close, but it looks like they quickly turned their focus to the Champions League.
“I think they made a mistake there, the focus should’ve stayed on the Premier League because that’s what they have been so close to, that is what is most important to the fans right now.
“They focused on the Champions League and are ending the season with nothing, a lot of people are feeling nothing but disappointment and it looks like Mikel Arteta couldn’t find the solution to get that trophy.”
Q: What will Arsenal players be thinking of Mikel Arteta?
WG: “If I was a player in this Arsenal team, I’d first question my own performances throughout the season before looking at the team.
“If I wasn't good enough I would take on the blame and look to come back stronger, but if I had been great all season I’d turn my attention to the manager and to the strength of the squad.
“But we all know the big problem and that’s the failure to sign a striker in the summer. It's been two years without a proper striker and it’s not a new problem.
“If Arsenal want to win the Premier League they need to add 20 goals and a good striker would do that, look at Mohamed Salah with 28 goals for Liverpool.
“Arsenal need a world class striker, they have midfielders and defenders and a goalkeeper, but there is one missing piece that could lead them to the title.”
Q: Is Mikel Arteta right about Arsenal being the best team in the Champions League?
WG: “The best team is the team that wins, it’s simple. You can play good football but in the end, if you lose, you are not the best team.
“We can talk about nice football but football is about winning mentality, if you look at this Arsenal team do they want to play nice football or win trophies? The players want to win trophies.
“The fans don't want to only see nice football. They want to see their team lift a trophy. Look at Luis Enrique in his press conference, he was the one who was smiling.
“I cannot agree with Mikel Arteta because the best team qualified for the final, the best team won twice at Emirates Stadium and at the Parc des Princes.”
Q: Is Mikel Arteta yet to prove that he’s an elite manager?
WG: “After five years on the Arsenal bench, we can say that Mikel Arteta isn’t at the elite level. He needs to win the Premier League in order to reach that.
“It looks like he is going to stay, so I think the club is giving him one more chance next season. If he doesn’t win the Premier League then, after six years, we can say he isn’t in the top level of managers.
“Look at Xabi Alonso, three years at Leverkusen and he won three titles.”
Q: Which striker can carry Arsenal to the Premier League title?
WG: “The striker Arsenal need to take them to the Premier League title? It’s Alexander Isak.
“He would really fit in at Arsenal, he knows the Premier League and has adapted so well, he would produce results straight away.
“It will be a difficult signing financially and the pressure will be bigger on him at Arsenal than it is at Newcastle, but he would give the rest of the team more freedom while getting his own goals also.
“He can play with the ball at his feet and bring other players into play, he is tall, he is quick and he understands the game. Isak is the right player.”
Q: Can Arsenal take Alexander Isak to the next level?
WG: “Arsenal can help Alexander Isak reach the next level as a player. Newcastle have tried but it’s going to be very difficult for them to be in title contention.
“Arsenal have experience of being towards the top of the table now and although they haven’t won the title in so long, they have been so close.
“I think Arsenal have a different class of players, they have more experience, I think it would help him improve and reach the next level as well as Arsenal.”
Q: Could Martin Odegaard lose the Arsenal captaincy?
WG: “Could Martin Odegaard lose the Arsenal captaincy? It all depends on his personality.
“If he is strong enough to lose the armband and still perform, maybe Declan Rice would be an option. Odegaard hasn’t shown the level that fans were expecting, maybe we saw him reach his maximum level last season and it was hard to repeat that.
“Whether he can drive Arsenal to success, we don’t know yet, but he missed a lot of games through injury and we did see his level in some glimpses.
“We shouldn’t be quick to change the captain despite the performances of Declan Rice, they have different personalities.
“In English football sometimes the guy that shouts is the one that is seen as the leader and Rice seems to do that more than Odegaard, only time will tell.”
Q: Does Raheem Sterling have a future in the Premier League?
WG: “I think it’s time for a fresh challenge for Raheem Sterling, he has the chance to show what he could do at Chelsea and then Arsenal but it hasn’t happened.
“He needs to go somewhere he will get more opportunities because even with some rotation at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta hasn’t given him that. I think one of Arteta’s biggest mistakes has been a lack of rotation at times because they have picked up injuries.
“You have to give players a rest at certain times, but with Sterling, he must be frustrated, maybe he will want to stay in the Premier League and in London.
“He’s 30 now, but maybe a club like Fulham could give him that opportunity and more chances to play, I’m curious to see what happens next.”
Q: Would you rather finish second with no trophy or 17th and win the Europa League?
WG: “As a player, I’d rather finish 17th and win a trophy than second with no trophy, that also means you can get back into the Champions League next season.
“I’m not sure I agree with the Europa League winners going into the Champions League, but that’s the reason why Manchester United and Spurs have put so much into the competition and forgot about the Premier League.”
Q: What was your reaction to Nicolas Jackson’s red card?
WG: “I’ve always been behind Nicolas Jackson supporting him, I saw him as a young striker that was going to improve this season, but I’m not sure what his excuse can be now.
“He has scored less goals this season than he did last year despite being the first choice and starting 28 games in the Premier League, he can have no excuses.
“He had to take his chance and show the club he could be the main striker but he hasn’t done that, I worry that we have already seen him at his best level.
“He either needs to work harder on his finishing in training, or if he is already working as hard as he can, maybe the club will think about replacing him.
“He made a stupid mistake against Newcastle and if he’s on the bench when he comes back, he can have no complaints.”
Q: Could Cole Palmer play up front for Chelsea?
WG: “Cole Palmer playing up front would be a big mistake by Enzo Maresca, Chelsea need him in the middle of the pitch.
“Chelsea are playing Manchester United who will only be thinking about the Europa League final, so it’s a great chance for Chelsea to get three points and potentially secure Champions League football.
“Ruben Amorim will not be taking any risks and that should help Chelsea.”
Q: Are Chelsea lucky that they have Man Utd next?
WG: “Chelsea have got lucky in the sense that they are desperate for three points and they are facing a Manchester United side who have given up in the Premier League.
“You need some luck and this is the chance for Chelsea, everything points towards three points and Champions League qualification, then Chelsea can think about the Conference League final.
“I think Chelsea will win the game and it’ll take the pressure off before the final day, but there is pressure on Chelsea in this game. Three points has to be the target.”
Q: Is there any reason that Chelsea shouldn’t sign Kevin De Bruyne?
WG: “Signing Kevin De Bruyne would be a good opportunity for Chelsea, but there is one problem.
“The issue is having two playmakers in the same position, it might harm the development of Cole Palmer because he would have to play out wide again.
“It happened when they were both at Manchester City, that’s why we saw Palmer move to Chelsea and look at what he has done since.
“It would be exciting to see De Bruyne back at Chelsea, but it would be a very difficult situation for the manager.”
Q: Is there any reason that Arsenal shouldn’t sign Kevin De Bruyne?
WG: “Kevin De Bruyne might be an option for Arsenal, but he would clash with Martin Odegaard. You can’t have two players in the same position and it might just make things harder for both of them.”
Q: Should Ange Postecoglou leave Spurs this summer whatever happens?
WG: “In my opinion, Daniel Levy cannot be happy with the work done by Ange Postecoglou so there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders right now.
“Postecoglou might not feel he has got respect at the club and winning the Europa League is a complete 50/50.
“Although Spurs have beaten Manchester United this season, it won’t give them the advantage in this game, the pressure will be huge.”
Q: Might Tottenham collapse under the pressure of the final?
WG: “Tottenham players have to be ready for the final, the fans will be ready and the statistics from the rest of the season will go out the window.
“Manchester United could play in a different way and change their system because of those results, they have shown that they know a way to win in the Europa League.
“If it comes down to experience, you’d have to make United favourites, but neither of these managers have won a competition like this before so we don’t know how it will impact them.
“If you ask me, I will be supporting Spurs, it’s time they won a trophy after so long.”
Q: Could Leny Yoro grow into one of the best defenders in the world?
WG: “Leny Yoro reminds me of Rio Ferdinand and I think he could grow into being one of the best defenders in the world.
“I have been impressed by him so far, but I do think he joined Manchester United at the wrong time, despite the fact that he is about to play in a final.
“It is easy to lose your confidence as a young player in the Premier League so the manager has to be careful about not putting too much pressure on him.
“Sometimes you can have one bad performance and it can harm your confidence, he is still young so he should be playing freedom to reach his full potential.
“The club need to make sure that he’s not scared to make mistakes and that is hard, he would’ve really benefitted from having a very experienced defender next to him, imagine someone like Nemanja Vidic.
“But he does remind me of Ferdinand and also of Raphael Varane, but he needs the right people around him to learn from and I’m not sure United have that.”
Q: Will Kylian Mbappe be hurt to see Ousmane Dembele win the Ballon d’Or?
WG: “Kylian Mbappe is friends with Ousmane Dembele and part of him would be pleased to see Dembele win the other door, but the other part will be sadness.
“If you look at their careers, Mbappe was the one we all thought would have won the Ballon d’Or by now but Dembele has come out of nowhere in terms of the last six months.
“Dembele now has a real chance to win the Ballon d’Or now, after years of Mbappe being close, so it will be a mixture of emotions for him.
“For Mbappe, he will come back stronger and with even more desire to win trophies next season, so far at Real Madrid he has been out of position and despite scoring so many goals, not quite at the level we saw him reach for PSG.”
Q: Can Carlo Ancelotti win the World Cup with Brazil?
WG: “Carlo Ancelotti is one of the best managers in the world. It’s a completely new challenge in international football, but he will speak to the players and know very quickly how to get the best out of them.
“It’s a new challenge and he will find out the personalities, he has won so many major trophies at club level, so you can’t rule him out of winning the World Cup with Brazil.”
Q: What was it like to defend against Ronaldinho?
WG: “Ronaldinho was so unpredictable and I’d go as far as saying a genius on the pitch.
“I had many opportunities to play against him, but was lucky that he wasn’t always in my area of the pitch. Against Chelsea he did a lot of damage, he scored that tricky goal with the little dance and I remember playing against him well. He was simply a genius.”
Q: Could Gabriel be a key player for Arsenal and Brazil for years to come?
WG: “Alongside Marquinhos, I can see Gabriel being a key player for Brazil like he is for Arsenal. He has shown a high level of performance in the last few seasons and he is such a strong player when he is at his best.
“He’s also shown he can score goals and he is always such a huge miss for Arsenal when he’s not fit, maybe he could’ve been what Arsenal needed to win the Champions League.”
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