‘Buying young players is going to cost him his job’: Micah Richards says Mikel Arteta is heading for the SACK at ‘in a rut’ Arsenal, after spending £132m on ‘second-tier players and panic buys’
- Arsenal’s poor start to the season continued after the 2-0 defeat by Chelsea
- Mikel Arteta is under renewed pressure despite spending £130m this summer
- Micah Richards believes the club are not able to attract ‘top players’ anymore
- Sportsmail columnist Richards predicted the spending to end in Arteta’s axing
Micah Richards believes Arsenal are not longer able to sign top talent with the club in the middle of a ‘rut’, and also claims their current transfer policy will ultimately cause Mikel Arteta to lose his job.
Boss Arteta and his players were jeered at full-time after their defeat against Chelsea, a loss which marked a horror start to the new season and piled on the pressure despite them splashing out £130million.
However, despite the significant amount spent on new arrivals, Richards has taken aim at their business, accusing them of panic buying and saying that the best players will no longer want to join them.
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are no longer able to sign the ‘top players’, claims Micah Richards
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘At this moment, Arsenal can’t attract the top, top players, because players want to go to the better performing teams at this moment in time.
‘When you say they’ve spent a lot of money, they’re buying second tier players, or players with good potential who could become that.
You should think that the manager’s got some input in the players that they’re getting. But I just think with Arsenal now, they’ve got themselves in such a rut, they’ve done a couple of panic buys.
The horror start to the season for Arsenal went on after their defeat by Chelsea at the weekend
Martin Odegaard, the latest arrival at the club, was paraded to the supporters before kick-off
‘They signed [Pierre-Emerick] Aubamayeng to his new contract and he’s not done much since that, and then it’s like everyone’s gone forwards and they’ve stayed still.
‘They’ve been trying to control the finances, and gone out and spent £132million. No disrespect, Ramsdale’s had three relegations in his career.
‘They’re signing for the future, it’s almost as if they’ve conceded they’re not going to get world-class players. Unfortunately, buying young players is going to cost Arteta his job because he’s not going to be able to do the business.’
Sportsmail understands that the hierarchy at the Emirates are still behind Arteta, and have acknowledged that the Covid chaos which has engulfed the club has been a major factor in their poor start.
Sportsmail columnist Richards predicted Arsenal’s transfer business will see boss Arteta axed
Albert Sambi Lokonga (left) is another signing that Arsenal have splashed out on this summer
The anger from the stands was visible after the weekend’s derby, though, when Arteta was confronted by angry supporters as he drove away from the stadium.
For now, he continues to have the immediate backing of the board, who will keep the chequebook open heading into the final week of the window. They are keen to sign a new right back and add to their lavish spending.
And after the hefty investments, bosses want to give Arteta enough time for his new signings to adapt. There is a realisation that patience may be needed with likes of Ben White, Albert Sami Lokonga and, to a certain extent, Martin Odegaard.
But it is also understood that the club are prepared to make a ruthless decision over Arteta’s future later this season if there is no improvement in results. He will be expected to spark a turnaround once their current issues are resolved.
Arteta was jeered by supporters as he left the Emirates soon after the second loss of the year
