Keown certainly knows Arsenal better than most so his claims that the club’s in-form trio can match the double-winners is a rather large statement.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has told the Daily Mail that the club’s burgeoning strike partnership of Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott reminds him of The Gunners’ heyday with Nicolas Anelka and Marc Overmars leading the line.

After a slow period of adaptation, Sanchez has grown into the number nine role impressively this season, his intuitive movement, expert link-play and clinical finishing keeping Olivier Giroud on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Walcott has enjoyed his most prolific start to the season in a number of years, netting eight times in 10 games from his nominal position on the right flank.

And the in-form attackers shone once more in Arsenal’s 6-0 hammering of Ludogorets in the Champions League on Wednesday, Sanchez’ sublime chip followed up by a thumping long-ranger from Walcott (below) before Mesut Ozil stole the show with a clinical second-half hat-trick.

And Keown, who was a regular starter alongside Anelka and Overmars in Arsenal’s 1997-98 double winning season, says the speed and incision of the club’s modern-day duo are reminiscent of the lethal Franco-Dutch combination, with Ozil emulating the class and guile of Dennis Bergkamp.

“Alexis Sanchez’s goal [against Ludogorets] was a thing of beauty and I love the look of this team with him playing through the middle,” Keown told the Daily Mail.

“He and Theo Walcott fly down the middle of the pitch at such speed like the Red Arrows with Mesut Ozil picking the passes – it reminds me of the days of Nicolas Anelka, Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp.”

However, while the vaunted trio of yesteryear ended the campaign with the Premier League title and FA Cup in the trophy cabinet, Sanchez, Walcott and Ozil (below) will have their work cut out if they are to last the pace across nine months this time around with the latter years of Wengers’ reign marked by an annual springtime collapse.

Yet, after entering the campaign under huge pressure due to the club’s inability, or reluctance, to stump up the fee for a top-class centre-forward, the goalscoring feats of the in-form attackers have put Arsenal right in the frame for yet another title challenge.

In other news, Fulham reportedly in talks over £14m signing, director confirms Cottagers’ interest