Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have been told where they might finish this season.
Winterburn told Gambling.com: “The only thing is, we really don’t know where Arsenal are going to finish, but between now and the summer we just have to hope that Arteta can strike a rich vein of form and get the club back up into contention for the top four.
“Maybe, just maybe, we might be able to get into that top four in the final stages of the season, but I think it’s unrealistic given where Arsenal are at this moment.
“It’s also about showing prospective signings that Arsenal are indeed moving in a new direction now, the right direction.”
He continued: “There’s still a lot to play for. There’s the top four, FA Cup and Europa League – and of course if you win that you qualify for the Champions League, which is so crucial for attracting players.
“They are all long shots at the moment though.”
He said: “We’ve been talking about Arsenal addressing a problem position at centre-half for three or four seasons now, but I guess it’s down to the manager to decide where he thinks it’s most vital to improve the squad.
“Does he go with a short-term fix and hope that it works or wait and take the time to identify the target that you really want?
“My feeling is that Arsenal shouldn’t bother with another short-term fix, they’ve got to use their money more wisely. If they can get the right player in January, then great, but if they can’t – just wait until the summer.”
He said: “Now I’m really pleased but we saw two different teams – one in the first 30 minutes, and another after that.
I tried to tell them exactly what they were going to face and after 32 minutes we had won one duel, I think. We changed our attitude, desire and organisation at half-time and then we were completely different.
“Sometimes they have to experience themselves how tough and how hard it is going to be. I watched a lot of Leeds games and they battered every team every three days.
“It was good for my players to learn and to suffer on the pitch.”
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