Gary Neville is WRONG about Arsenal: Gunners are evolving, not regressing

Steve Kay

Updated: 14 Apr 2025 18:02 BST
3 min read

Gary Neville’s latest attempt to dissect Arsenal’s season fell flat on NBC Sports as Robbie Mustoe delivered a calm but cutting rebuttal that left the former Manchester United man fumbling.

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Neville, who’s made a habit of questioning Mikel Arteta’s side, claimed Arsenal have “gone backwards” this season, laying blame on squad depth, recruitment missteps, and even Edu’s reduced presence behind the scenes.

With jabs at Martin Odegaard’s form and Kai Havertz’s role in midfield, Neville painted a bleak picture of the Gunners’ trajectory for the future. But Mustoe wasn’t having it.

The former Middlesbrough man fired back with clarity, pointing out that Arsenal have been navigating key injuries while still sitting firmly in title contention.

Mustoe argued that the so-called regression is actually resilience in disguise - especially when Arteta’s side have remained competitive without their stars firing on all cylinders.

His most telling blow? Highlighting that Arsenal are still primed for a second-place finish, something that hardly screams decline.

Neville is way off the mark

Neville’s criticism focused heavily on recruitment, implying that the summer signings haven’t elevated the squad.

But FootballTransfers understands that Arsenal’s hierarchy remains confident in their long-term strategy. Declan Rice has been a standout, while Havertz grew into his role and was crucial prior to his injury.

Edu’s departure? Club sources suggest he simply wanted a new challenge elsewhere with more power, hence the move to Evangelos Marinakis' multi-club network, which includes Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave.

© IMAGO - Arsenal humiliated Real Madrid last week

With the summer window approaching, Arsenal are expected to target a striker and potentially another wide forward to ease the creative burden. But this is no desperate rebuild - it’s refinement, not repair.

Neville might be seeing smoke, but Mustoe sees the spark. And with Arteta’s project evolving, a big summer transfer window approaching and a semi-final place in the Champions League on the horizon, suggesting Arsenal have regressed is strange indeed.