Piers Morgan has slammed Arsenal as ’embarrassing’ and urged them to resign Granit Xhaka.
Arsenal are going through a rough spell at the moment and an FA Cup clash against Liverpool this weekend as a welcomed distraction from the league.
Last time out, the Gunners suffered back-to-back defeats for the only the second time this season as they lost to Fulham in what was a particularly poor display.
During the match, Bukayo Saka was one player who didn’t have his best game in red and white, despite scoring the game’s opening goal.
He was largely marked out of the match by the hosts and failed to have an impact on proceedings creatively.
As one of the best wingers in the Premier League, Saka is hacked down a lot as teams know the danger he poses and will do everything to stop him.
Indeed, the 22-year-old has been on the receiving end of a whopping 87 fouls this season, behind only Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes (92) and Crystal Palace attacker Jordan Ayew (117).
As a result, Arsenal have submitted a complaint to the refereeing body about what they believe to be rough treatment of Saka by opponents.
Arsenal submit complaint to PGMOL
As reported by the Daily Mail, Arsenal have submitted a complaint to the PGMOL as they feel opponents are free to clatter the winger without an initial punishment in Premier League matches.
The Gunners are believed to have said the referee should issue a yellow card to an offender after the first strong foul on him rather than wait for the second infringement.
While Arteta has previously warned Saka he can’t expect referees to protect him from rough treatment, this hasn’t stopped a debate that has been sparked over this news with Arsenal fan Piers Morgan supplying his verdict.
Piers Morgan labels Arsenal as ’embarrassing’ and wants them to resign Granit Xhaka
Taking to X to react to this news, Morgan said: “Embarrassing. Instead of whining about tough tackles, we need to sign a Vieira/Keane style enforcer who will dish it out even harder… or get Xhaka back.”
After letting him depart for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, Morgan has called for Arteta to resign Granit Xhaka.
This is perhaps due to the tough-tackling nature he brought to their midfield, often overstepping the line when it came to making challenges and being cautioned more often than not.
Despite turning his Arsenal career around last term, his time at the Emirates Stadium was blighted by ill-discipline.
In 225 Premier League appearances for the club, he was shown a yellow card on 57 occasions and a red four times.
Xhaka did, however, improve upon that record towards the end and was only cautioned four times last term.
He began to channel his aggression in the right way and Arteta certainly misses his robust midfield displays, which is why Morgan has called for him to return.
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