Martin Keown says one Arsenal player looks like ‘he’s on holiday’

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Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown wrote on his column on The Daily Mail about Willian’s performances this term.

The Brazilian joined us on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer. Willian is hugely experienced and is a proven commodity in the Premier League. Arsenal felt he would add a lot to our squad, but so far, it hasn’t quite happened.

The 32-year-old picked up two assists on his debut, but he has managed just one in his next 14 appearances. He is yet to score a goal in an Arsenal shirt, and his performances with and without the ball have been extremely disappointing.

Keown has had his saw about Willian in his column. The Englishman feels that the former Chelsea man is on a holiday at Arsenal, and frankly, it does look that way.

He wrote: “I admired Willian at Chelsea but it is like he is on holiday at Arsenal. The first thing I would do is play him on the left where he was a success at Chelsea. And play Bukayo Saka on the right where he looks more effective.”

Willian has mainly featured on the right flank, but he has played four times on the left. The end result has been the same irrespective of where he starts, and that is a real concern for Arteta looking ahead.

Should Willian be dropped?

Arsenal welcome in-form Southampton to the Emirates tomorrow. Mikel Arteta will have more options in attack as Nicolas Pepe returns to the squad after having served three-match suspension over the last three weeks.

The Ivorian deserves a start on the right flank instead of Willian. Saka has been Arsenal’s brightest player in recent games, and dropping him just to accommodate the Brazilian makes very little sense.

A front-three of Pepe, Aubameyang and Saka with Lacazette in behind them might just be our best option at the moment. Willian can be a good option from the bench, but based on recent performances, he hasn’t done enough to warrant a start tomorrow.