Ian Wright has told Matchday Live on Premier League Productions that it’s time for Mikel Arteta to replace Arsenal trio Granit Xhaka, Willian and Alexandre Lacazette because they have ‘let him down’.
The Arsenal legend suggested that they should be replaced by youngsters such as Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith-Rowe, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
From FA Cup winners and Champions League contenders at the start of the campaign, Arsenal fans are now aiming to avoid that dreaded bottom three following defeat to Burnley last night.
Xhaka’s sending-off changed the tide of the game in North London, with the Gunners suffering a fourth straight home defeat and Wright made it clear that this is now a ‘real crisis’ point for the club.
“The manager has stuck with him [Xhaka] for a while,” said Wright. “He has shown a lot of faith in him. I think he has done the same with Willian. He has done the same with Lacazette.
“There are players now that should be getting a blast at it now. Throw in Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith-Rowe coming back on-loan and doing well at Huddersfield last season. Joe Willock. Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
“You need to do something different because if it carries on like this and he continues to have faith in these players, and they are not delivering, then I don’t know what’s going to happen next.
“It’s a time when you need experienced players the most. I feel like at this particular moment, he has had a lot of faith in them and they have kind of let him down up to this point. I think Arsenal are at a real crisis point in terms of confidence. It’s going to be even lower now and it’s going to take something to build them up. This is why it needs some freshness. Just blood some fresh impetus.”
Arsenal’s record transfer deals
- Nicolas Pepe
£72 million
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
£56 million
- Alexandre Lacazette
£52 million
- Thomas Partey
45 million
- Mesut Ozil
£42 million
Whilst most supporters across the country embrace the fact that a small proportion of them are allowed back into stadiums, the Arsenal faithful will be hoping they aren’t allowed into the Emirates given how their team is performing.
It’s defeat after defeat for the Gunners, and rather than covering their nose and mouth with masks, it seems some are opting to cover up their eyes instead because what they are seeing is beyond dreadful.
Even if these Arsenal players are letting down Arteta, an unproven manager like him won’t last much longer in the job because a club of this size simply cannot be hovering above the relegation zone heading into the New Year.
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