Mikel Arteta convinced Chelsea are title contenders

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has a strong conviction that London rivals Chelsea are strong Premier League title contenders, ahead of their clash with Enzo Maresca’s side.

The Blues face Premier League leaders, Arsenal, on Sunday. A clash between the first and the second, and Arteta has reaffirmed his admiration for the Club World Cup champions.

Arteta admitted in his pre-match press conference that Chelsea “fully deserve” to be in the Premier League title race, as the Gunners head to Stamford Bridge with a six-point lead over the London rivals.

Arteta has frequently praised Maresca, most notably in March during a clash between the two sides. Despite the Gunners securing a narrow 1-0 home victory, the 43-year-old manager described Chelsea as “the best attacking team in the league by a mile.”

When asked if Chelsea are worthy title challengers, Arteta said: “I think we are all there, and they are there because they fully deserve what they have done in the last few years.

“I think the squad that they assembled, the numbers that they have, the quality that they have, the number of coaches they have it makes sense that what is happening there is very, very positive and they deserve to be there.”

In reply to a question about whether he still views Chelsea as the league’s best attacking force, he replied: “They were [the best last season], the sample now this season is early so it’s difficult to say.

“But it is one of the teams that I enjoy the most watching and they have a lot of fluidity, they have a lot of threat, they have a lot of individual talent, they are very clear what they want to do and that’s why they are very tough.”

On his team’s well-known injury issues, including those of Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz, and the recent one involving Leoandro Trossard, who sustained what could likely be a calf injury during their 3-1 Champions League victory against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, and how this might impact his squad.

Arteta replied: “Clear, not yet, but they are getting closer and closer. We are very positive with both of them, and that’s it.”

More to follow…