Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has admitted the Gunners could get relegated if they don’t start picking up points as their season continues to go downhill.
The North London club have lost seven of their 12 matches this season and currently sit just five points off the bottom three.
After a bright start to the Premier League campaign, Arteta’s side have been in freefall and currently lie 15th in the table.
The 1-0 defeat to Burnley in their most recent game was their fourth in five matches and meant the Gunners are enduring their worst start to a top flight season for 46 years.
Collecting just 13 points so far this campaign, only two teams currently sit between the Gunners and the relegation zone.
Parlour, who played for the club between 1992 and 2004 is concerned the previously inconceivable outcome could become a reality.
“Someone asked me the question the other day, can they get relegated?” Parlour said on Off The Ball.
“I said, ‘well probably not,’ but then you look at Leicester winning the league 5,000/1 and they won it, so they can get relegated.
“If they don’t start picking up points and turning it around then there’s a real problem there.”
Despite winning the FA Cup and finishing in eighth place after just half a season in charge last year, Arteta is facing serious questions this time around.
The Burnley loss was also Arsenal’s fourth in a row at home, a record that stretches back to 1959.
Further unwanted statistics for the Arsenal boss include no clean sheets in nine home matches stretching back to last season and 12 hours and 32 minutes of Premier League football without a goal from open play.
Off the pitch, there have been reports of disagreements within the squad and general player unrest.
Parlour believes Arteta will be given time to turn things around but warned the former Arsenal captain that his job will be at risk if he fails to address rumoured internal issues in the camp.
“I don’t think Arsenal are a sacking club”, he added.
“Mikel Arteta has been around Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger, he knows as a player the dressing room is so important.
“If there is a problem, he has to deal with it very quickly.
“If it does get out of control, the only person to lose their job, it’s not the players, it’s the manager straight away.
“Hopefully he can turn that around and make sure he sorts that out very quickly.”
The last time Arsenal started a season this poorly, Bertie Mee’s side lost eight and drew three of their first thirteen fixtures in the 1974/75 season.
Arsenal ultimately finished 16th, narrowly avoiding the drop.
The club are currently the English club with the longest stay in the top division, following their last promotion in 1919.
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