Arsenal have ‘weak personalities’ & will only finish 6th – pundit

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Graeme Souness has written off Arsenal’s chances of securing Champions League football next season and reckons their ‘weak personalties’ will ensure the club only finish as high as sixth.

The Gunners have, once again, under performed this season, crashing out of the Champions League after a 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich and falling well off the pace in the battle to land the Premier League title.

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With the club currently six points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool, albeit with two matches in hand, Souness has laid into the club’s flimsiness and believes they’ll finish the campaign in their current position of sixth.

The race for the Champions League places is likely to go to the wire, with Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool favourites to join Chelsea among the elite next season, with Manchester United also hoping to gatecrash the top four.

That would leave Arsenal facing disappointment and speaking in the Sunday Times, Souness said: “Arsenal usually falter in February and March, then reach the top four with a late tun in April and May, but I don’t see it happening after their defeat at West Brom.”

While Souness believes Chelsea will be champions, he’s uncertain in what order Tottenham, Man City and Liverpool will finish in, and believes United will fall just short and finish fifth: “I expect them to put a run together but will it be enough? They might have had too many home draws in the first part of the season and they are still showing signs if that, with one against Bournemouth recently.”

Arsenal’s woeful recent form has seen them slip right out of the picture into sixth.

Uncertainty remains over Arsene Wenger’s future, with the Frenchman yet to sign a new deal.

And Souness believes the current situation at the Emirates is allowing players to get away with below-par performances.

“As long as there are doubts over Arsene Wenger’s future, it gives the weak personalities in their squad another excuse,” he added.

Souness also believes one of Hull or Swansea will join Sunderland and Middlesbrough in being relegated from the Premier League.