Arsenal legend David Seaman doesn’t believe the Gunners will mount a serious title challenge this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are top of the table heading into this weekend’s North London derby but Seaman says his former club should be focusing on Champions League qualification:

“What they’ve got to aim for is anything better than last season. Two seasons before last we finished eighth. That wasn’t good enough but we were in transition and the process wasn’t quite there. This season, top four and maybe a good cup run. When you look at it, we’re not quite ready yet to be challenging Manchester City and Liverpool. Liverpool are having a little wobble at the moment but they’ll come good, then it’ll be City’s turn to have a wobble. Anything in that top four, for me, is real progress for Arsenal.”

Seaman does make some reasonable points and he is probably right to say that Arsenal fans shouldn’t get too carried by their strong start.

However, it probably isn’t wise to dismiss the Gunners’ title chances so readily. They may not have been truly tested yet but if they come through games against Tottenham and Liverpool with victories over the next couple of weeks, excitement about what could be possible this season will increase..

Of course, nobody is expecting Arteta’s men to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City but their performances do suggest that they are in a position to win matches against the very best in the country.