Arsenal’s “terrible” run of form has become unacceptable, says David Seaman, with the Gunners needing to back under-fire boss Mikel Arteta by selling and buying during the January window. A forgettable start to the 2020-21 campaign has a north London heavyweight languishing in 15th spot, four points clear of the relegation zone.

Confidence has taken a serious hit at Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal lacking a spark at both ends of the field.

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The new year will present an opportunity to mix things up, with the Gunners clearly in need of movement in and out of an underperforming squad. Seaman hopes funds will be made available to Arteta, a coach he retains full faith in, with the legendary former Arsenal goalkeeper telling PA Sport: “I like how he speaks, and my friends give me great reports of what he does at the training ground.

“For me, he needs to stay and the club needs to back him in getting the players he wants. “At the moment, there are a few players at Arsenal that maybe need to leave to create funds to get better players.” Fresh faces could help to turn things around for the beleaguered Gunners, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Manchester City on Tuesday set to provide a welcome respite from Premier League struggles.

Seaman added: “For Arsenal, it will be a bit of a break from their league form, but you cannot just turn it on and off. “Their Premier League form is terrible, there is no doubt about that, but we need to kick on and start putting some performances in because at the moment it is not acceptable.

“It is a build-up of things, but what is happening now is players are just drained of confidence. “They are making four or five-yard passes to each other and they cannot control it – that is nerves in the game.

“It is just about getting through that, in times like this, you look to your experienced players and hopefully they can drag you through. “We have got a lot of young players in the Arsenal team but at the moment they have no one to look to because everyone is seeming to have a lack of confidence.”

Arteta has vowed not to walk away from the challenge he faces in north London but is aware that the tide needs to turn in order for the pressure that is building on his shoulders to be eased – with talk of former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri being appointed in his place already doing the rounds.

Goal.com