Arsenal legends sends "arrogant" Premier League title race warning before crucial Chelsea fixture

An Arsenal legend - speaking exclusively to Sports Mole - has warned the Gunners against Premier League title 'arrogance' should they overcome Chelsea in Sunday's blockbuster London derby.

Mikel Arteta's men head to Stamford Bridge boasting a six-point lead over the Blues - their closest challengers in the Premier League table - although Manchester City could move to within four points by beating Leeds United on Saturday.

However, should the Gunners prevail in West London and other results go their way this weekend, they will hold a nine-point lead at the summit of the standings with a third of the season gone.

Owing to Liverpool's capitulation and Man City's slip-ups, Arsenal are already considered the overwhelming favourites for the title, and the crown is already theirs to lose in the eyes of home.

Ex-Gunners left-back Nigel Winterburn believes that Arsenal would be cocky to take such a view of the race for glory when December has not even hit, though, saying: “I never talk about titles in terms of to lose. I think that's a bit arrogant.

Arsenal "hard to catch" but Premier League title belief "arrogant"

"Listen, I've got great belief in my team this season. I've said it since before the season started with the signings we got.

“What you're looking for is when those players come in, you want to see them at a very, very high level. I think we've already seen that this season. Madueke, Eze, Hincapie, Mosquera, these players have come in and fitted into a team that's been very, very well drilled.

“I've got super confidence with the squad depth that we now have. I think we'll be very hard to beat, but that doesn't still mean that you're going to win the title. You've got to earn that right. You've got to put teams under pressure. You've got to hope that they can't cope with your relentlessness to picking up points.

“And Arsenal, although we're early in the season, you're absolutely right to put yourselves in a great position. But there will be one or two teams that will be trying to latch onto the coattails and trying to disturb Arsenal, particularly when we move into Christmas, January, February, March, when they think, oh, well, Arsenal haven't won the title.

“Three years ago, they were clear and they couldn't see it through. Let me tell you, this is a completely different team. This is a completely different squad in terms of its belief. We're going to be hard to catch, but that doesn't mean to say we are going to win it.”

Why Arsenal cannot count their chickens in Premier League title race

Winterburn knows better than most about not counting one's chickens in the Premier League title race, having been a part of the 1997-98 Arsenal squad that miraculously overturned a 12-point deficit against Manchester United.

Arsene Wenger's crop were 12 points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's men as late as February, but the North London giants still managed to claw their way back and win their first-ever Premier League title.

Five years earlier, Man Utd themselves erased a 12-point difference to Norwich City - who held a double-figure lead in December 1992 - while Manchester City were 10 points behind Liverpool in late December 2018 but went on to win the league.

A nine-point advantage at the start of December is therefore no guarantee that Arsenal will propel themselves to title glory, but few will deny that it would be an extremely advantageous position for the Gunners, especially given their significant squad depth.

Sports Mole also spoke to another Arsenal legend against of Sunday's visit to Stamford Bridge, where he suggested that Bukayo Saka could be unleashed in an unfamiliar role.

Nigel Winterburn was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of BetBrain.