Mikel Arteta will face calls to be sacked by Arsenal if he fails to deliver a Premier League title, despite the club's glaring transfer failures, according to their former CEO.

Speaking exclusively to Express Sport, Keith Edelman, Arsenal's ex-managing director and CEO between 2000 and 2008, claimed that calls to sack Arteta are not entirely fair because his bosses have not delivered the world-class players he needs to challenge.

The Gunners are staring down the barrel of another disappointing defeat in the title race with leaders Liverpool after they moved 11 points clear at the summit following their 2-0 win over Manchester City. Arsenal, meanwhile, slumped to a 1-0 home defeat by West Ham and finished the game with 10 men.

After spending around £500million during that period, questions will arise about Arteta's position. But Edelman believes it would be harsh for fans and pundits to pin the blame on Arteta when his superiors have recruited poorly, although the warned the 42-year-old to expect mounting pressure.

When asked about fans calling for Arteta to be sacked, Edelman said: "I think it's a bit extreme. My feeling is Arteta is not responsible for the recruitment of new players and bringing a new squad in, that's not what his role is.

"He's not a director of football and it's probably quite unkind [to call for the sack] if you're not given the tools for the trade. You can't cut the sandwich without a knife after all."