Mikel Arteta tipped to leave Arsenal if Gunners miss out on trophies next season as Jamie Carragher hits out at Spaniard's 'excuses'

Arsenal’s hopes of ending their long wait for silverware were dashed once again following their Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. The defeat at Parc des Princes means the North London side will finish a fifth successive season without lifting a major trophy, their last success being the FA Cup triumph over Chelsea in 2020.

Despite the defeat, Arteta maintained that his side had outperformed their French opponents across both legs. He insisted that Arsenal deserved a place in the final, arguing that the overall display was more deserving than the result suggested.

Former Liverpool defender and pundit Jamie Carragher was among those who questioned Arteta’s reaction. Writing in The Telegraph, Carragher criticised the Arsenal manager for what he described as "excuse-laden" remarks, likening them to fan reactions often seen on social media.

He wrote: "Some of Arteta’s most recent public comments have veered into that territory, making him sound more like a fan on social media perpetuating a series of complaints about injuries and refereeing decisions. His remarks about Arsenal deserving to beat Paris St-Germain over two legs in the Champions League semi-final left him open to ridicule. Luis Enrique’s side have been by far the best side in this year’s competition, and they showed their class in both games."

Carragher further noted that while injuries can derail a season, every title contender faces adversity. He cited Manchester City’s struggles during Rodri’s absence as an example, suggesting that Arteta’s focus on such incidents does little to justify the bigger picture.

"One club’s valid explanations for ‘failure’ are everyone else’s lame excuses. That is especially true with regard to injuries. We could go through many league seasons in which the runners-up could point to ‘if only’ moments," he wrote.

"Every neutral football supporter knows that the injury that truly transformed this season was Rodri’s against Arsenal last September – the first of many games Arteta’s side should have won but ended up drawing. Would a fit Rodri have altered the title race and prevented a Liverpool procession? We will never know. More importantly, when a season is reviewed, such facts become incidental, no matter how influential they were at the time."

Carragher stressed that Arteta’s tenure, although marked by substantial progress, is now at a crossroads. If Arsenal are to avoid a cycle of near misses, the upcoming season must yield tangible rewards.

"Arteta has so much credit in the bank, it is fair and right, there is more resistance to managerial change at Arsenal than desire for it," he said.

"But no one understands better than him that all the goodwill for creating an Arsenal team capable of winning is gone. Arteta must deliver next season, otherwise his legacy will be years of groundwork for the benefit of a successor who will be asked to add the finishing touches."

Arteta must find a way to turn promise into tangible success, or face the possibility of seeing another manager reap the rewards of the foundation he has built. As the club prepares for what could be a defining year, all eyes will be on whether the Spaniard can finally bring the glory days back to the Emirates—or if the curtain is quietly beginning to fall on his reign.