Quincy Abeyie wrote:
If we have a CB as good as Fofana and don't put him in the EL group stage squad to protect him from fan criticism then yes I think Arteta is crazy. Our fan base is bigger than Leicester, but they're by far the better team and Fofana is good enough to play in it.
It's nothing to do with the quality of the team. That was not mentioned, nor even implied, in my post.
Look at the hysteria that surrounds Arsenal. There are probably only 10 other clubs on the planet that compare. Perhaps fewer than that. Leicester might as well be Leyton Orient by comparison.
And who cares about the Europa? So Saliba didn't play in 6 games against opposition that our B, in fact, more like C, team beat handily in every game. It's annoying that we fans didn't get to watch the kid play, but if Arteta has decided he's not ready this season then he absolutely should play the more senior players he trusts more than Saliba to play in what he himself has described as a crucial and demanding position, i.e., not a position he sounds like he wants to start experimenting in.
Arteta was happy to wave Saliba away for 12 months, that's the reality. Not making that happen and then hanging around past the Europa squad deadline for a Championship loan that also never materialised is zero to do with Arteta. It's unfortunate for the player, and I'm sure he'll rightly be annoyed, but this is Arsenal, and it seems to me that Arteta is reminding everyone at the club what that actually means.
