Arsenal are having a bad time at the moment, there’s no doubt about that.
They’re out of every competition, and barring an absolute miracle in the Premier League, they won’t be playing European football next season.
We all know about Arsenal’s issues on the pitch, the results speak for themselves, but what we rarely get an insight into is the politics of the dressing room.
That is, until recently.
Indeed, we had an update from Ian McGarry of the Transfer Window Podcast on Friday, and it’s fair to say it doesn’t make for good reading.
“We are hearing at the Transfer Window podcast that there is a residue of bad attitude and friction in the dressing room, some players are dissatisfied, not only with results, but with the fact that they’re not playing well, and some of the more senior players are pointing the finger at younger players for mistakes in their game and costing them results as well,” McGarry said.
As you can see, this doesn’t look good at all.
The fact that senior players are pointing the finger at younger footballers would be ridiculous at any club, but at Arsenal, it’s downright preposterous.
If anything, the young players have been carrying the team this season. The likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have been two of Arsenal’s best players, while the more established senior stars have been poor.
It’s one thing to be lagging behind on the pitch, but a poor attitude and a level of toxicity in the dressing room is serious cause for concern.
Mikel Arteta may know how to coach a team on the pitch, but a tear in the dressing room is incredibly tough for even the most seasoned manager to fix.
We know that Arteta has his problems at Arsenal at the moment, but if this report is true, his issues are much bigger than initially feared.
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