Deeney Defends Arteta as Arsenal Fans Turn on Midfield After Bournemouth Stumble

Troy Deeney has waded into the Arsenal fan furore following their weekend collapse against Bournemouth, taking aim at supporters who've begun circling Mikel Arteta and questioning the credentials of the club's midfield options.

The Gunners suffered a disappointing 2-1 reverse at the Cherries on Saturday, with Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott's strikes sandwiching a Viktor Gyokeres penalty in a performance that left plenty to be desired. The defeat hands Manchester City a potential lifeline in the title race, with Pep Guardiola's side now boasting two games in hand and an upcoming clash at the Etihad next weekend.

Despite remaining nine points clear of the chasing pack, sections of the Arsenal support have begun calling for Arteta's removal following three defeats across their last four outings in all competitions. Deeney, the former Watford striker turned pundit, firmly rejected such demands on CBS Sports, pointing to the transformation Arteta has orchestrated at the Emirates.

"They're not going to sack him because he has moved that club astronomically forward from where it was, they're always in contention now and being spoken about as one of the best teams in world football, and rightly so," Deeney explained. He then posed a rhetorical challenge to the doubters: "But this is why Arsenal fans… this is why I love you, and why you love me, because when it's right and when they're winning they're hammering me, now… 'sack him'?! He's top of the league, they're in the Champions League, now it's, 'sack him, get rid of him'. Who are you going to bring in?"

The striker-turned-analyst also questioned whether Arsenal's attacking options have genuinely underperformed, noting that Gyokeres, Havertz and Jesus all featured against Bournemouth. "I said he would score in these games, it's the big games that matter, has he scored against Liverpool yet, has he scored against Man City yet?" Deeney asked, suggesting the focus should remain on the biggest occasions rather than mid-table encounters.

The criticism extended beyond the manager's tenure. Some supporters have taken aim at Zubimendi's performances, with suggestions the Spanish midfielder represents a weak link in the side's architecture. Deeney found this particularly baffling, reminding listeners that Nigel Reo-Coker had recently described Zubimendi as one of Europe's finest operators in his position, while Arsenal fans themselves had lauded him as the signing of the season just three weeks prior.

One fan complaint centred on Christian Norgaard's absence from the starting eleven, prompting Deeney to question whether the holding midfielder's presence on the bench represented a genuine tactical flaw. "There's an Arsenal fan out there that thinks the reason they're not winning is because Norgaard is not playing?" he asked incredulously, highlighting the disconnect between some supporters' grievances and reality.