Mikel Arteta has backed Chelsea to come good under Mauricio Pochettino because big spending is still the key route to Premier League success.
Arsenal host their London rivals at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday aiming to move four points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
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Chelsea will end Pochettino’s first season at the helm without silverware and face a late scramble to qualify for Europe given they lie in ninth place having suffered 10 league defeats this season.
Chelsea have spent more than £1 billion ($1.23bn) since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their takeover in May 2022 and when asked on Monday if he felt Chelsea would eventually thrive, Arteta said: “I am convinced they will. With that squad, yes, and with the manager they have.
“If you look at the history of the Premier League in the last 20 years at the ones that have spent the most and what has happened there is a big relation, depending on how you look at it.
“They deserve to be in a much higher position in the league when you look at what they have done and what they produce in games. They have a reached a [Carabao Cup] final, they have reached [an FA Cup] semifinal, they could have gone through [against Manchester City].
“I think what Mauricio is doing is really impressive and I’m sure that he is going to get them there.”
Meanwhile, Jurrien Timber is expected to feature for Arsenal’s under-23s against Blackburn on Monday evening as he steps up his recovery from a knee injury. The defender underwent surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained on his league debut against Nottingham Forest last August.