Arsenal have lost their place among England’s elite in recent seasons, failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the last three years.
With the Gunners languishing in 9th place and eight points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, Arsenal were on course to extending their absence from Europe’s premier club competition for a fourth straight season before the campaign was halted because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
After another troubled start to the campaign, Arsenal replaced Unai Emery with ex-captain Mikel Arteta, who has brought some stability to the Emirates stadium.
Although Arsenal exited the Europa League at the round of 32 stage at the hands of Olympiacos, Almunia is backing his compatriot to be given time to transform their fortunes.
"With Arsenal, as the big club that they are, it's a shame to see them like this,” Almunia, who now works as a goalkeeping coach for Al Jazeera FC, told Marca.
"For the history, infrastructure, British and global fans and the attraction in general, they should be in the Champions League and higher up in the league.”
"Sooner or later, they'll be among the best again and I'm sure Mikel will help with that. He was a player not long ago.”
"He's shared the dressing room with some of the players he coaches now and he knows what modern football is like and he'll know what the best thing for them is. He has to be given time.”
"With trophies, I imagine it's a question of eras and a big title can break the ice. From there, the players will believe that they can win more and that's momentum.”
