Ex-Arsenal star admits Man City have “massive advantage” and makes claim about Arteta’s future

Apr 16, 2026 - 11:00

Former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has suggested Manchester City have the edge in the Premier League title race at the moment.

The Frenchman, who won four Premier League titles during his time at Manchester United, and who also spent two seasons at Arsenal, admits he’d rather be in the Man City dressing room right now.

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Arsenal lost at home to Bournemouth last weekend and only scraped through to the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 aggregate victory over Sporting Lisbon.

It seems clear that City are in better form, so it’s perhaps not too surprising to see Silvestre sensing that the pressure is now on the Gunners ahead of their showdown at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.

Ex-Gunner on Arsenal vs City title race

“This weekend was a big twist in the title race, for sure. I didn’t expect Arsenal to lose, and then for Man City to go and win so convincingly… I wouldn’t say it’s wide-open again but City are definitely back in the frame,” Silvestre told Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction.

“I think I’d rather be in City’s dressing room right now, over Arsenal’s, as a player. You’d rather be chasing, because all of the pressure is on Arsenal right now, and if you, as City can just keep doing what you’re doing, and blocking out the noise, you might end up on top. City have gained a massive advantage this weekend, but Arsenal are still in a position where it’s theirs to lose.”

Arsenal recently lost to City in the Carabao Cup final, and they don’t have a good record at the Etihad Stadium, having failed to win there since all the way back in 2015.

Doubts over Mikel Arteta’s future?

Silvestre added that these next few games could define Mikel Arteta’s future at Arsenal, suggesting the Spanish tactician could have a decision to make soon.

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“I don’t think you can judge Mikel purely on this season, because he’s been with the club for six years now, and he’s got them to a position where they’re competing for trophies again,” the Frenchman said.

“You know, they’re still in the Champions League and in the race for the title, so we will have to wait and see what happens in both of those competitions. His, and Arsenal’s season, will be defined in the next few weeks, and from there Mikel will make his own decision on what happens next.”

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