‘I don’t see the Arsenal blood on the pitch’: Former Gunners star Emmanuel Petit slams his old club’s transfer policy and insists he does ‘not recognise’ them because they spend ‘a lot of money on the wrong players’
- Arsenal endured a season of struggle and finished eighth in the Premier League
- Mikel Arteta’s side failed to qualify for Europe for the first time in 25 years
- Former star Emmanuel Petit has criticised the club’s transfer strategy
- Ex-French midfielder says he doesn’t see players willing to give all for the cause
Emmanuel Petit has slammed Arsenal’s transfer policy and accused his former club of spending millions ‘on the wrong players’.
It’s been a forgettable season at the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners finished eighth in the Premier League and failed to qualify for Europe for the first time in 25 years.
Mikel Arteta’s men were also beaten by Villarreal in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals.
Arsenal endured a disappointing season as they again finished eighth in the Premier League
Mikel Arteta doesn’t seem to be taking the club forward at present amid fan dissatisfaction
And Petit, the French midfielder who played 116 times for the club between 1997 and 2000, has taken aim at the club’s owners, the Kroenke family, over their transfer strategy.
They brought in Willian from Chelsea, for example, last summer on wages of £220,000-a-week but the Brazilian has failed to make much of an impact.
Petit told The Sun: ‘I don’t recognise the club anymore. I don’t see the Arsenal blood on the pitch.
‘It’s not the question of money because Arsenal have the power to put £70million on a player if they want to.
‘It’s a question of profile – who do you want for your teams in terms of character and quality?
Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has criticised the club’s transfer market strategy
Petit won the Premier League and FA Cup Double in Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal team in 1998
‘What are Arsenal doing in the transfer market? I don’t understand it. They spend money – a lot of money sometimes – but on the wrong player.’
Petit is concerned Arsenal will drop further down the table unless there’s a change of direction soon.
He added: ‘This is the turning point for Arsenal, they are at the end of the world. They need to take the right direction or else they’ll drop, drop and drop again and it’ll be more difficult for them to attract players.
‘With all the respect I have for [Bukayo] Saka and [Emile] Smith Rowe – they have been playing brilliantly, especially Saka – but the other players – the experienced players – what have they brought to the team since they’ve arrived?
‘You have to look at yourself in the mirror.’
Owner Stan Kroenke (right) and director Josh Kroenke (left) have been heavily criticised
