"Arsenal fans will be unbearable if they win the Premier League" - Pundit makes honest admission as title race heats up
Former West Ham United defender Anton Ferdinand has admitted that Arsenal winning the Premier League this season would make the club's fanbase intolerable.
The Gunners have been in excellent form under Mikel Arteta this season. After a slip-up at the end of last year that saw them move down the standings, Arsenal have returned to the top of the league.
The north Londoners secured a 2-1 win over Brentford last weekend while Liverpool drew 1-1 with Manchester City. The Gunners now lead the pack on goal difference ahead of the Merseysiders, while City trail behind by a point in third.
As Arteta's men enter the twilight stages of a heated title race, Anton Ferdinand has made a claim about the club's supporters. Speaking on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel, he said (as quoted by TBR Football):
“To be fair, Arsenal fans will be unbearable if they win the Premier League. I’ve got enough Arsenal friends in WhatsApp groups, that I’m like, ooof."
The Gunners have recorded 20 wins, four draws, and four losses in the English top tier this term. The north London outfit have been in red-hot goalscoring form in the Premier League this calendar year.
They have won all eight of their league fixtures in 2024, scoring 33 goals across matches. Arsenal recently secured their spot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, their first in 14 years, after beating Porto in the second leg on penalties.
"The champions can talk" - Thierry Henry names two teams Arsenal must avoid in Champions League quarter-finals draw
Thierry Henry believes Manchester City and Real Madrid are the Gunners' toughest possible opponents in the Champions League quarter-finals this campaign.
After defeating Porto on penalties in the Round of 16, Arsenal will feature in the quarter-final draw on Friday (15 March) alongside City, Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Athletico Madrid, and Barcelona.
Henry insists that reigning European champions Manchester City, who won the treble last season, and 14-time Champions League winners Real Madrid pose the greatest threat to his former side's run in Europe this term.
He said (via Metro):
"There are two teams there who can be cocky – it’s Real Madrid and Man City, that’s about it. The others, you just take who you can play. Man City are the team to beat still, for me. I know Pep, it’s not how he’s going to take it, I was just putting it out there."
"Me as a player, I’ve been in too many situations to know that sometimes the so-called team who was easy to play against is not the case, you arrive and people think, ‘you’re going to win it easy’, no, that’s not really the case.
"‘So the champions can talk – Man City – and then Real Madrid, we already know they have 14, other than that, let’s see what’s going to happen."