Arsenal are 20/1 (21.0) to finish in the top four after appointing Mikel Arteta on Friday afternoon.
The Gunners sacked Unai Emery in November after going seven games without victory – their worst run in 27 years – whilst his temporary replacement Freddie Ljungberg managed just one win in their next five.
Arteta, then, will certainly have his work cut out as he looks to rekindle the type of form the Gunners showed at the start of the season when they lost just one of their first eight Premier League games.
The former Arsenal captain, who played for the north London side for five years, was Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager at Manchester City for over three years and was also heavily linked to the job before Emery was hired.
Arsenal currently sit 10th in the Premier League, seven points off the top four, and there is a certain pressure on Arteta with the Gunners having not finished below sixth in the Premier League since 1994-95 when they ended 12th.
However, bet365 are not wholly certain Arteta will even achieve that, with the online bookmaker offering 5/2 (3.50) on a top six finish despite the club being just three points behind Manchester United in sixth.
Arteta will be hoping to get off on the right foot when he visits a former stamping ground in his first game on Saturday, with a trip to Everton his opening gambit as a manager.
The Spaniard spent six years at Goodison Park before his move down to the Emirates Stadium in 2011 but bet365 make his new side 15/8 (2.87) outsiders to claim a second away win in a row.
Indeed, improving Arsenal’s away form will surely be one of the main focuses of Arteta with the Gunners having struggled on the road since the latter days of Arsene Wenger.
Their last 58 league fixtures away from the Emirates Stadium have yielded 29 losses and just 17 victories, and last season they failed to win at any top-half team – losing seven and drawing two of those nine trips.
Arteta faces a baptism of fire in his first four games with trips to Everton and Bournemouth followed by Chelsea and Manchester United at home, and bet365 offer a market on how points he will pick up in those fixtures.
It is 40/1 (41.0) that Arsenal lose all four matches, with 1-4 points inclusive a 2/1 (3.0) shot and 5-7 the favourite at 5/4 (2.25). Between eight and 10 points is 11/4 (3.75) whilst a clean sweep of victories can be backed at 20/1 (21.0).
Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.