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Arsenal are three points clear at the top of the Premier League after beating Liverpool at Anfield at the weekend.
It was a masterclass in defensive resilience as Mikel Arteta’s side kept Liverpool at bay, reducing them to zero shots on target. It may not have been the prettiest display but it was a real mark of champions, and it is making it hard for anyone to ignore this team.
Even Paul Scholes, who hasn’t always been the biggest fan of this iteration of Arsenal, has made it clear just how highly he rates some of the Gunners’ players. In fact, two of them would be among his first picks if he were rebuilding Manchester United.
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Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football, Scholes was asked which players he would bring in to transform United, from any country, any league, any club.
“Right, okay. Gabriel, centre-half for Arsenal,” he said, before adding Jude Bellingham, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe. He initially picked Harry Kane too, before changing his mind: “No, sorry, I’ll swap. Declan Rice for Harry Kane.”
That’s two Arsenal players in a list alongside some of the very best in the world, and rightly so. Gabriel was one of Arteta’s very first signings back in 2020, and he’s been at the centre of the project defensively right from the start. He has been a rock again this season, and his performances have quietly gone under the radar. The Brazilian has formed an outstanding partnership with Ezri Konsa while William Saliba has been out injured.
Meanwhile, Declan Rice already has five Premier League assists, the most in the division, after setting up the winner at Anfield. Scholes has previously been critical of the £105million midfielder but admits Rice would be “virtually unplayable” if he played with fewer touches. Former United boss Erik ten Hag recently admitted he tried to sign Rice, before the midfielder chose to join Arsenal the following summer.
The Gunners are truly blessed to have both of them, and it says a lot about where the two clubs are right now that United’s former midfielder would build his side around Arsenal’s spine.
Arsenal are back in action against Slavia Prague in the Champions League tonight.
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