Stats say that Arsenal could have already lost the title

Here is an interesting analysis, conducted by bookmaker bwin, which reveals just how much Arsenal (sitting in 16th with 3 points from 3 games) are a club in crisis and badly need to beat Bournemouth next time out.

* Only 30% of Premier League title winners were outside the top 4 after just 5 games – no team has ever won it after being in the bottom half of the table after 5 fixtures

* Only 15% of title winners lower than 6th after just 5 games – Manchester United are the only club to achieve this feat, doing it in 2002/2003, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009
* 90% of title winners are sitting in the top 4 after 10 games – no team has ever won it after being in the bottom half of the table after 10 fixtures
* 54% of teams that are in the top 4 after 5 games finish in a Champions League spot – only 8% of teams to qualify for the Champions League were in the bottom half after 5 games

* 1% have finished in the top 4 after being in the bottom half after 10 games – Liverpool are the only club to achieve this feat, rising from 11th to 4th in 1999/2000
* 69% of teams that are in the top 4 after 10 games finish in a Champions League spot

It is also looking like it could be a very busy few days in the transfer window for Arsenal, with Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez nearing the exit door and the likes of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Lemar being lined up as potential replacements.

However, the stats show that Arsenal are playing a very risky game as leaving transfer activity so late usually leads to a drop in points and league position.

* The Premier League typically makes 24% of its signings after mid-August
* The Premier League typically completes 12% of its signings on transfer deadline day

* Only 34% of clubs who spend 75% or more of their transfer budget in August win more points than the previous season

Don’t do it on deadline day – of the clubs that made 40% or more signings on deadline day, only 37% of those score more points in their first five matches
* Manchester United made 100% of their signings on deadline day in 2013/14 and dropped 25 points that season – Manchester City made 84% of their signings on deadline day in 2012/13 and dropped 11 points that season
* Spurs are the anomaly with 60% of their signings made on deadline day last season yet they had a 16 point increase