If there is one man who knows what it takes to win trophies at Arsenal, it’s former goalkeeper David Seaman.
The former shot-stopper spent 13 years of his career with the Gunners during one of their most successful periods.
In his time at Arsenal, Seaman won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one League Cup on top of other honours.
There have been a few successes since the goalkeeper moved on and hung up his boots, but the north London club have struggled to emulate the success of the early Arsene Wenger era.
Under Mikel Arteta though, there is some hope that some semblance of that triumphant generation is here to stay at the Emirates Stadium.
After two league title pushes, the Arsenal boss is hoping its third time lucky in a challenge to his old mentor Pep Guardiola and his ruthless Manchester City winning machine.
For Seaman, this season could be the one that the fans have been waiting for to break their wait to lift the league title.
David Seaman gives fresh Premier League title verdict
With the season now three games in, the Premier League is still taking shape for which teams will be involved in which battle.
Despite dropped points against Brighton, Arsenal are firmly in the race for the title with rivals Manchester City.
Speaking on AFTV, Seaman was asked whether the Gunners can finally land another trophy this season.
“Yeah, I do,” the former goalkeeper responded. “This season because we are now genuine contenders.
“We’re back to where we should be and we are contending for a title and the last two seasons have proven that.
“Before that, I remember seeing an Arsenal team celebrating getting fourth, and I was like *grimaces* we’ve dropped quite a little way here from what I was used to.
“It was a great achievement because we got into the Champions League but it was just the way that we celebrated it, I was like, that shows quite a bit about where people are, where the players are in their minds as to where it should be and where it is now.
“So now we are genuine contenders for that title, we are getting better and better and we’re signing better and better players.”
There is one genuine concern for Arteta though, which will be the impact of injuries and competing with the squad Man City have.
Seaman believes injuries could blight the Gunners in the title race, but improvements in the squad have seen some better options available to fill in.
“The squad is getting better and that’s what we need,” the ex-goalkeeper continued. “Because you look at Man City’s squad, you look at their bench and they’re like woah and that’s where we need to be.
“Because if we get injuries, we could struggle as we found when [William] Saliba got injured at the end of not last season, but the season before.
“We didn’t have the right players to come in where City have got that, they’ve got that backup but we’re getting there.
“I’m excited now to see where it takes Arsenal because we’re back in a position where we’re going for the league and we’re genuine contenders to win trophies again I should say.”
Next five Arsenal fixtures will be crucial in Premier League title race
While there are plenty of months ahead in the Premier League title race, the next month could be crucial for Arsenal to start well.
Next up is the North London Derby against Tottenham, which is more than capable of throwing out surprise results.
While the Lilywhites have struggled as of late, they will almost certainly be up for an intense match.
Champions League action calls in between that match and the following fixture against Manchester City.
The importance of these head-to-head fixtures can’t be understated – had Arsenal won both last season then it would be them as reigning champions as of right now.
Any dropped points could be crucial over two important matches, while clashes against Leicester City, Southampton and Bournemouth will likely test the Gunners in a different way.
With cup commitments left and right, the next five matches could be vitally important to Arteta.
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