Arsenal’s disappointing home defeat against West Ham United yesterday blew a sizeable hole in their Premier League title aspirations.
The result sparked plenty of debate about manager Mikel Arteta. Whichever way you flower it up, one FA Cup success during his time in charge is a poor return.
Another failure in the title race would raise questions about whether Arteta is the right man to lead the club forward over the next few years.
Arteta’s transfer moves scupper Arsenal’s trophy hopes
Arsenal had a glorious opportunity to put pressure on table-topping Liverpool but fluffed their lines against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta’s side had 20 shots but didn’t score. Everyone and his dog can see the Gunners need a centre-forward, but the issue has not been addressed.
A more damning element of the Arteta era was the decision to spend a combined £170 million on Declan Rice and Kai Havertz.
There are undoubtedly better ways to splash out £65m than buying Havertz, while the £105m paid for Rice has to be one of the stupidest moves of all time.
The ex-Republic of Ireland international lasted 56 minutes against his former club before being substituted following another anonymous display.
Rice’s penchant for going missing in big games has been well-documented, but he took things to a new level yesterday.
He fluffed a great chance to create a goal and was at fault for Jarrod Bowen’s winner. West Ham fans justifiably took great delight in his demise.
Had Arsenal kept Granit Xhaka and spent the £105m on a prolific forward, they would probably be chasing their second consecutive league title.
Arteta has previously admitted he was desperate for the club to sign Rice, so the deal is on him. History may ultimately show it was the move that cost him his job.
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What to watch
Manchester City versus Liverpool. A home win would be handy to keep up the pretence that the title race is still alive.
