Richard Keys dubs Arteta a ‘disgrace’ after making Arsenal ace a ‘nervous wreck’

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Richard Keys has hit out at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

Mikel Arteta was in a jubilant mood after Arsenal beat Brentford 1-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening.

After the final whistle, the Spanish coach took to the pitch with his arm around the match-winning hero of the hour, Kai Havertz. The manager led Havertz over to the section of Arsenal fans in the stadium so that the midfielder could soak up their gratitude.

Arteta will have been particularly delighted with this result, as the Gunners were made to fight for it. Brentford put in a determined defensive effort, managing to keep Arsenal at bay for 89 minutes. Arsenal were patient, though, and stuck to the game plan. They were ultimately rewarded for their persistence with a win which sent them to the top of the Premier League table.

It was a huge moment for Havertz, too. The German has come in for plenty of criticism in his time at the Emirates Stadium so far. He will be delighted to have finally scored a goal from open play for the Gunners, and will be hoping to kick on from here.

However, Richard Keys was not at all enamoured by Arteta’s celebrations with the 24-year-old. Writing on his own official website, the broadcaster said, “I didn’t like seeing Mikel Arteta marching across the Brentford pitch with his arms round Havertz. It was clear what he really was trying to say. ‘My man. I told you. My man’.”

“Arteta knows he dropped a ******* paying all that money for Havertz so it was more with relief that he was cuddling and pointing at him. ‘I was right all along – you were wrong’. No Mikel. You weren’t.”

Mikel Arteta attacked for Aaron Ramsdale treatment

This clash with Brentford was not only a big occasion for Havertz, but for Aaron Ramsdale, too.

The goalkeeper was handed his first Premier League outing since losing his No. 1 spot to David Raya in September.

As Raya is on loan at Arsenal from Brentford he was ineligible to play against his parent club.

Having apparently decided to stay at Arsenal this January and fight for his place, Ramsdale will have been desperate to impress Arteta, even if he knew that nothing he did in the match would do much for his chances of winning his regular starting berth back.

However, it was not the kind of evening Ramsdale would have hoped for. Whilst he did keep a clean sheet, this was due to a goal-line block from Declan Rice, and Brentford’s failure to capitalise on one of Ramdale’s mistakes.

Nerves clearly got to the 25-year-old. In the first half especially he looked far from comfortable, misplacing passes and rushing his actions. At one point, he was robbed in his own penalty area and needed Rice to come to his rescue.

Keys believes Arteta is to blame for destroying the England man’s confidence. He said, “what he [Arteta] should’ve been doing was walking towards those Arsenal fans with his arms around Ramsdale. The way he’s treated the keeper is a disgrace. He’s turned him into a nervous wreck. I hope Ramsdale gets himself out of Arsenal in January and goes on to prove what a good keeper he is with another club.”