Gary Neville’s claim that Mikel Arteta may walk away from Arsenal in the summer has been dismissed - with Jeff Stelling laughing off the ex-defender’s comments.
Former Manchester United star Neville had stated that the Gunners finishing fourth could be “as good as it gets” and lead to Arteta moving on.
But Sky Sports host Stelling teased the pundit over his prediction by taking aim at his Salford team’s record of sacking managers.
Holding his phone to his ear, Stelling joked: “Hello Gary, hello Gary, yeah, where can he go? Salford? No, no, no, no. He wants a job where he's going to last more than six months, mate.”
He then added: “Sorry Gaz. He's going to kill me for that, Salford are away at Hartlepool today as well. It was just the wrong time to do it.”
Arsenal hero Paul Merson also dismissed Neville’s claim by reasoning that the club could be primed for a shot at more than just fourth place in coming seasons.
“Not really, not with the team he’s got,” he said when asked if he was concerned about Arteta leaving. “I think he’s building a team at Arsenal.
“If you were looking at the team and they were all 30, you’d think you might need to jump here. You’ve done your job, get out.
“But this team is only going to get better and better. I think they’ll go again in the summer transfer window, buy young players again, a new centre-forward.
“I think they are in a cycle. In a couple of years’ time, [Jurgen] Klopp and [Pep] Guardiola probably won’t be at Liverpool and Manchester City.
“Chelsea will be a force for the next couple of years but when players’ contracts start running out, I’m not sure how they will be able to sustain it. So you’ve got to wait and be patient if you’re Arsenal and Arteta.”
