Arteta, Keown and Jordan Round on Scholes Over "Boring" Arsenal Jab

Mikel Arteta has wasted little time responding to Paul Scholes' latest critique of Arsenal, dismissing the Manchester United legend's suggestion that the Gunners' style of play is dull and uninspiring.

The Arsenal manager finds himself seven points clear at the summit, with his side looking to finally end a three-year drought of runners-up finishes. Yet rather than bask in that position, Arteta must contend with the usual suspects taking aim from the punditry box.

Scholes, building on Jamie Carragher's earlier observation that none of Arsenal's attacking quartet would feature in his Premier League team of the season, went further still. The former midfielder insisted Arsenal "could be the worst team to win the league" before clarifying—when pressed by Ian Wright—that he'd meant to say "the most boring team, not the worst team." His revised take: Arsenal will be tedious regardless of their achievements.

Arteta's riposte was characteristically measured but pointed. "I hear completely the opposite," he said when confronted with Scholes' remarks. "All around Europe that we are the most exciting team in Europe – the most goals, the most clean sheets. Maybe I have different sources."

When questioned about the disconnect between domestic and continental opinion, Arteta added with a touch of dry humour: "I don't know which people. You send me the names, the addresses and the email and maybe we can talk but I can't give you a massive book of all the people."

Arsenal's demolition of Leeds United 4-0 on Saturday provided the backdrop for Martin Keown's own withering assessment of Scholes' commentary. The Arsenal legend didn't hold back on talkSPORT, delivering a quip that landed with considerable force.

"I love Paul but this comment, it's like one of his tackles, isn't it? It's waist-high," Keown said, a reference to Scholes' reputation for robust challenges that sometimes overstepped the mark.

The former defender expanded on his theme, emphasizing that Arsenal need only focus on their own business. "You just get on with your game and try and win," he said. "No one's going to be listening to Paul Scholes in the Arsenal team."

Keown stressed the importance of tuning out external noise, recalling wisdom imparted by Arsène Wenger years ago about ignoring talk of favouritism. "That's what Arsenal did at the weekend," he noted of the Leeds thrashing. "I think it's quite an emphatic result."

The former defender also outlined what could prove decisive in the title race. Should Arsenal extend their lead to nine points next weekend, with Manchester City subsequently visiting Anfield, the psychological impact could be profound. "Make it nine points. Make them look at nine points overnight, see that and it starts to sink in," Keown explained. "Then they start to question themselves."

Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman, also took issue with Scholes' assessment, branding the punditry "poor" and fundamentally flawed.

"It's not a fair comment," Jordan said. "I mean the fair comment is that for the front four, there potentially is an argument that you wouldn't pick them in a team of the season. Ultimately he's got some substance there."

Yet Jordan was scathing about Scholes' broader claim. "If you asked him to stand up that observation against the 32 teams that won the Premier League or the 32 times it's been won and analyse which has been the worst team and why he makes this observation, he's at it," Jordan argued.

The former chairman acknowledged Scholes' credentials as a player but questioned his punditry credentials. "I like Paul Scholes as a player. He didn't cover himself from glory as a manager and I think this sort of punditry is poor from him because it's not right."

Jordan pointed to Arsenal's recent form to undermine Scholes' position entirely. "Arsenal just smashed the Champions League. They just finished top of the league phase and won all eight games. This is a decent Arsenal side. It's a good Arsenal side."

For Arsenal, the focus remains clear: maintain the seven-point buffer and silence the critics the only way that matters—by hoisting the trophy at season's end. Their first Premier League title in 22 years awaits, but as Keown noted, one emphatic victory changes nothing. The real work begins next weekend.