Rooney Hits Back at Keown Over Baffling Arsenal Title Talk: "What Are You On About?"

Wayne Rooney has rounded on Martin Keown and fellow former Arsenal players, accusing them of actively harming the Gunners' Premier League title prospects with their increasingly nervous commentary.

Arsenal currently sit four points clear of Manchester City atop the table, though Mikel Arteta's side have surrendered considerable ground in recent weeks. The north London outfit have picked up just two victories—against Sunderland and Leeds United—over their last six outings, with defeats to Manchester United and draws against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Brentford proving costly.

That last stalemate with Brentford prompted Keown to serve up one of the more peculiar takes of the season. The former Gunners defender insisted on talkSPORT that Arsenal's then six-point advantage was somehow superior to a nine-point cushion, citing the "narrative" as justification. Keown suggested that a narrower margin might actually be healthier, allowing the club to avoid complacency and keep the pressure on themselves.

Rooney, speaking on The Overlap, was having precisely none of it.

"For me, what's happening is the Arsenal fans and the ex-players coming out are actually killing them," the Manchester United legend said. "They should stay silent and let everyone else talk."

He then waded into Keown's specific comments with barely concealed bewilderment: "I heard Martin Keown on talkSPORT saying having a six-point lead is better than nine. What are you talking about?! That's an experienced player who's getting nervous."

By contrast, Rooney praised Arteta's composure in handling the mounting pressure and speculation, suggesting the manager's measured approach stands in stark contrast to the increasingly jittery pronouncements from the club's alumni.

"I actually think Mikel Arteta is handling it brilliantly with the way he's speaking with the media," Rooney continued. "It's other people connected to the club who are actually having more of an effect."

Yet despite Arsenal's lack of a singular superstar to lean on, Rooney remains convinced they'll ultimately land the title. With roughly a third of the season remaining, he believes the Gunners' collective strength and Arteta's management will prove decisive.

"They have so much quality, Arsenal," he explained. "I don't think they have that superstar but they can win games and they've shown that over the last three years. Arsenal haven't got an absolutely world-class player, a superstar that they pin everything on, but what we've seen is they know how to win games."

While acknowledging Manchester City retain genuine title hopes, Rooney simply cannot see Pep Guardiola's side maintaining a relentless winning streak while Arsenal continue to drop points at regular intervals.

"Of course Man City can still win it. There's still a third of the season left to go so anything can happen, but I think Arsenal will win it," he concluded. "I think they're too strong and powerful. Man City will run them close but I just can't see them winning every game and Arsenal dropping that many points."