MX23RW : Wednesday, January 8 07:43:49| >> :120:25866:25866:

Roy Keane: 'Arsenal lack characters, leaders'

Roy Keane: 'Arsenal lack characters'
© Offside
Roy Keane describes the soon-to-be-vacant Arsenal job as an enticing prospect for whoever takes over from Arsene Wenger following years of decline.

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has claimed that Arsenal are no longer feared by opponents due to a lack of leaders and characters in their squad.

The Gunners are a fading force in the English game, facing back-to-back seasons outside of the top four following another disappointing domestic campaign this time around.

A failure to challenge for the Premier League title has cost Arsene Wenger his job, leaving Arsenal on the search for a new manager ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Keane believes that it is clear to see why the North Londoners are not the force of old, but has backed the next manager - whoever it may be - to come on board and sort out the problems.

"There are problems at Arsenal but it is still a great job and a lot of managers would love to manage Arsenal and get them back competing for league titles," he told ITV Sport. "In my time, we knew they were going to be the toughest games of the season.

"The Arsenal teams had a lot of power, pace, character, leaders and lots of quality. They were producing brilliant, winning football. You look at the Arsenal teams over the last few years, still a lot of pace but no characters or leaders so they are missing out on the top prizes."

Luis Enrique has emerged as the favourite to replace Wenger in the summer following praise from the Frenchman earlier this week.

ID:324422: cacheID:324422:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2387:
Written by
Daniel Lewis
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A shirt paying tribute to Arsene Wenger held by a supporter during the Premier League game between Arsenal and West Ham United on April 22, 2018
Read Next:
Vieira 'honoured' to be linked with Arsenal
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!