🏟️🔥“I don’t like to criticize Arsenal at all but I’ll criticize him for the silly action he did in the 68th minute of the game against Newcastle yesterday”- Arsenal legend Ian Wright calls ONE Arsenal star on phonecall to nail him on the cross after disgraceful performance against Newcastle on Saturday afternoon

Arsenal legend Ian Wright criticized Mikel Merino after the team’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle, suggesting he “wasn’t tight enough in and around the midfield.”

Alexander Isak scored for Newcastle with a strong header in the 14th minute, and Arsenal struggled to respond, continuing their lackluster away form. Fortunately for the Gunners, their title rivals, Manchester City, also lost later that day against Bournemouth.

With Martin Ødegaard out due to injury, Arsenal has noticeably missed a creative force in midfield. Mikel Arteta is eager to have his captain back for next weekend’s London derby against Chelsea.

Merino, who was signed for £32 million from Real Sociedad, failed to make a significant impact in the attacking third and was replaced by academy player Ethan Nwaneri with 30 minutes remaining.

During a match analysis on Premier League Productions, Wright remarked that Merino appears to be “still getting up to speed” with the rigors of English football.

“Ødegaard has been out for a while. We’ve talked about other options… Fabio Vieira hasn’t played much either,” Wright noted. “Emile Smith Rowe has moved to Fulham and is doing well.

“Ethan Nwaneri came on, and it’s a lot of pressure for a young player in a title-challenging team. At this point in the season, ten games in, we shouldn’t be this flat—not creating enough chances or applying pressure.

“Merino wasn’t tight enough in midfield again. I think he’s still adjusting.”

Wright stressed that Arsenal fans can’t keep using Ødegaard’s absence as an excuse for the team’s recent issues. “It’s frustrating to be ten games in and feel this way, especially knowing how tough it is to catch Manchester City,” he said. “One shot on target against Bournemouth and one today—it’s simply not good enough for a title-contending team. There’s a lot of work needed in that dressing room. We can’t keep saying we’re missing Ødegaard; it’s a factor, but not the only one.”

In his post-match press conference, Arteta agreed with Wright, saying, “We could discuss this all day. We haven’t had him for six weeks, and we still don’t.

“But we have other effective solutions. Today, we need to reflect on our performance, congratulate Newcastle, and move forward.”