“Dull” Arsenal have “gone backwards” after these poor transfer decisions, says journalist | OneFootball

Arsenal have been slammed for going backwards and becoming dull to watch under Mikel Arteta, with journalist John Cross slamming the team after yesterday’s defeat to Manchester United.

The Gunners drew 1-1 with the Red Devils but lost on penalties as they were dumped out of the FA Cup third round at the Emirates Stadium, missing out once again on an opportunity to win some silverware.

This result also followed the 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle in midweek, which leaves Arsenal’s Carabao Cup hopes hanging by a thread as they now need to go to St James’ Park with a mountain to climb for the second leg.

See below as the Mirror’s John Cross lays into Arsenal’s poor work in the transfer market that has contributed to this decline this season, singling out the injury-prone Riccardo Calafiori and the underwhelming Mikel Merino…

This will resonate with some Arsenal fans, but at the same time it’s perhaps unfair to ignore the injuries the team has had to contend with this season.

While the club’s summer window could undoubtedly have been better, it’s also likely that they wouldn’t be struggling as much right now if Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Ethan Nwaneri were fit and available.

What next for Arsenal?

Mikel Merino in action for Arsenal (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

There’s surely still some hope for Arsenal in the weeks and months ahead, as they remain in contention, albeit as outsiders, in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

The north London giants take on rivals Tottenham next and will surely be the favourites to win that one, as Spurs haven’t been in particularly great form recently either.

Still, there’s also clearly potential for this to go very wrong, so fans will be hoping signings can be made between now and the end of January in a bid to save the season.