Arsenal will drop out of the Premier League title race and the top four come the end of the season, says former player Jermaine Pennant.
The Gunners are enjoying their best start to a campaign since 1903, having won nine of their first 10 games to sit top of the table, and have built a four-point gap over champions Manchester City and rivals Tottenham.
Pennant is impressed by Mikel Arteta's work at Arsenal, having spent big to assemble a young, talented squad which now includes a fearsome front three of Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and academy graduate Bukayo Saka.
But Arsenal’s time at the top will be short-lived, claims Pennant, who even believes the club will once again miss out on Champions League qualification.
Pennant told talkSPORT: “I think that Arsenal, after Christmas, will cookie crumble like they did the year before to drop out of the Champions League spots.”
“What Arteta has done at Arsenal, where they were two, three seasons ago and what they are doing now, is absolutely amazing,” he continued.
“We are giving Arsenal a lot of praise about where they are going and how they have conducted themselves in the first ten games. But it is all about will they maintain that, will they continue that after Christmas?
“We have seen a lot of teams come flying out the blocks and then as soon as the Christmas period comes and the games come thick and fast, they slip over easily.”
