Arsenal accountability: The questions and the mistakes

It’s no secret that the Arsenal fan base has become more and more disgruntled and angry at every misstep the club has made in recent years.

Arsenal’s downward spiral from title challengers to top-four regulars, to banter club, is ongoing. Even the most patient and loyal supporters are fed up with the steady decline they have witnessed over the past decade. Fans have been demanding change and most of all accountability.

According to the dictionary, the definition of accountability is ‘an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions’.

So, who’s responsible for Arsenal’s current state? The Kroenke’s, Edu, Mikel Arteta. Yes, all of them; there’s plenty of blame to go around. Those at the top need to be held accountable for their mistakes and bad decisions.

That list includes:

Arteta Let Emiliano Martinez Leave Without a Proper Backup Keeper

It was Arteta’s decision to allow Emiliano Martinez to leave for Aston Villa. The Argentinian rejected a contract extension when the manager told him he had a ‘95% chance’ of playing against Fulham on the opening day. That wasn’t enough for the Argentinian and £20m was too good to refuse. It was a decision that was not well thought out and has come back to haunt the Gunners. Could Arteta have tried harder for the better goalkeeper?

Confidence in Bernd Leno has eroded as his distribution and decision-making have been poor. The German always looks like a disaster is just around the corner. Of course, he’s not helped by Arsenal’s shaky defense. We’ve had time to address these problems, yet here we are.

Back up Alex Runarsson came highly recommended by goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana Pavon. He made just one unconvincing appearance for the Gunners, and now the club is ready to move him on.

Meanwhile, Arsenal continues to search for a new keeper with no imminent deal in sight.

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Arsenal’s Defense Is Riddled With Mediocrity

As for the defense, how has it come to include Rob Holding, Cedric Soares, Pablo Mari, and Calum Chambers? None of them have proven that they are good enough to be starting for Arsenal.

Soares joined on loan from Southampton in January 2020 and then inexplicably was given a long-term contract.  Mari initially arrived at Arsenal on loan from Brazilian side Flamengo with an option to buy. He was Arteta’s first signing as the Gunners’ manager.

Last summer the club decided to give contract extensions to Soares and Mari as well as the now-departed David Luiz. Upon making the announcement, Arsenal technical director Edu said, “I am really happy that we will have these players in our squad for the future. They have been part of the long-term technical plan Mikel and I have developed. They bring the right balance to our squad.”

In reality, Arsenal’s only current reliable defender is Kieran Tierney. Time will tell whether recent signings, Gabriel, Ben White, and Nuno Tavares will become solid additions.

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Players Expected to Leave are Still Around

Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin were both expected to leave Arsenal this summer. It was felt that a change was necessary for all parties involved.

Xhaka’s troubles have been well documented and Bellerin’s performances have dropped off since returning from ACL surgery.

Negotiations with Roma for Xhaka and Inter Milan for Bellerin dragged on and eventually fell apart.

Bellerin’s situation remains unresolved.

Meanwhile, Arteta turned around and decided to give Xhaka a contract extension.

Does the Arsenal brass think keeping players that the club wanted to offload but couldn’t get rid of fill fans with confidence? We know they’re trying but it’s not a good look and frankly, it’s embarrassing.

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What will become of the following players?

• Egyptian Mohamed Elneny is a leftover from Arsene Wenger’s reign. He’s a nice squad player but not a first-team automatic choice.
• Academy product Ainsley Maitland-Niles was hailed a hero and declared a vital part of Arteta’s squad following his performance in the Gunner’s 2020 2-1 FA Cup victory over Chelsea. One year later and Maitland-Niles can’t get a game.
• Why is Sead Kolasinac still here? The Bosnian is best remembered for taking on thugs trying to carjack Mesut Ozil than his game performances. He was loaned out to Schalke 04 last season and Arsenal continues to try and get Kolasinac off the books.
• Reiss Nelson has been an Arsenal player since the age of nine but has gotten limited opportunities. Early reports speculated that the winger was going to be sold. Now it’s claimed the Gunners are trying to get Nelson to sign a new contract before loaning him out to Crystal Palace, now managed by Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
• Will Arteta’s decision to allow academy graduate Joe Willock to leave for Newcastle come back to haunt Arsenal?
• Will gold medal-winning striker Gabriel Martinelli ever get a real chance to show what he’s got?
• Lucas Torreira was signed by Unai Emery in 2018 and quickly became a fan favorite. The change in manager along with the pandemic altered the Uruguayan’s fortunes. Arteta didn’t rate him and Torreira spent last season on loan at Atletico Madrid. With his career in limbo, it’s hard to blame him for going to an amusement park as the new EPL season got underway.
• Then there’s the Willian fiasco. His Arsenal deal makes Wenger’s signings of Gervinho, Yaya Sanogo, and Kim Kallstrom look like strokes of brilliance. The former Chelsea player signed a lucrative three-year contract with Arsenal last summer and at the time Arteta said, “I believe he’s a player that can really make a difference for us.” Now we can’t get rid of him.

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What’s is Going on With Aubameyang & Lacazette?

It’s the first game of the season, Arsenal is coming off of an eighth-place finish and the team’s top strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are out of the squad due to “illness”? When asked about the pair’s absence in the season opener Arteta said ‘they feel unwell, that’s all I can say’.

Now it’s being reported that the pair will not be available to face Chelsea in a match over a week away. What is going on?

Less than a year after giving Aubameyang a new three-year deal, reports are circulating that Arsenal is open to letting the team captain leave.

Even more confounding is speculation that post-Messi Barcelona is considering bids for both Aubameyang and Lacazette.

Can anyone at the club explain what’s actually going on?

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Who Put Together Arsenal’s 2021 Wall Calendar?

Even the 2021 annual Arsenal calendar is a mess.

Back in May, defender William Saliba was the featured player. It’s now August and Saliba still hasn’t made an appearance for the Gunners.

Last month David Luiz was the calendar cover boy for July. This is despite the fact that the Brazilian left the club at the conclusion of last season.

Best of all is the month of December. It turns out we’ll be celebrating the holidays this year with Willian gracing the calendar to close out the year.