Arsenal have not progressed since missing out on the Premier League title last season, Simon Jordan believes.
Mikel Areta’s side are heading for another second-placed finish, with Liverpool currently 11 points clear at the top of the table.
The Gunners have been badly hampered by injuries. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Gabriel Martinelli are among the many players to have spent significant spells of the campaign on the sidelines.
But former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan has suggested that the club have simply have not kicked on.
Speaking on Talksport, Jordan said: “Is there progress this season? Difficult to see.
“You can give nuance and all the context that you want, but the history books don’t look at context and nuance – they don’t go back and say ‘X, Y, Z player was available, X, Y, Z player wasn’t available’. They look at the outcomes.
“In front of your eyes, I don’t think Arsenal have evolved as a team.”
Many believe Arteta deserves credit for keeping Arsenal as high in the table in such difficult circumstances.
But Jordan countered: “Others have fallen away. If Manchester City had been a more competitive side, if Tottenham had been a more competitive side, then you might find yourself in a different situation.
“They (Arsenal) have been the best of a bad bunch. Liverpool have been top of the tree. Of the also-rans, Arsenal have been the best of a bad bunch.”
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown disagreed.
“I think that’s a bit harsh. Definitely the injuries to Arsenal have played a major part in what’s happened this season,” Keown said.