Mikel Arteta has been an 'abject failure' and should be sacked after Arsenal saw their Champions League hopes almost disappear. That is the view of Piers Morgan, with the talk show host unable to hide his fury after the Gunners' defeat at Newcastle United.
Arteta's side suffered a heavy defeat to top-four rivals Tottenham on Thursday night, with Rob Holding's early red card enabling Antonio Conte's side to register a comfortable 3-0 win. It was a damaging display, but one that still left Arsenal with a one-point cushion for a Champions League spot heading into the final two matches of the season.
Ben White and Gabriel overcame injury doubts to start on Monday night at St James' Park, but the Gunners were second-best against a Newcastle side who had already secured survival. It was the England international who inadvertently opened the scoring with an own goal, while Bruno Guimaraes' late strike sealed a 2-0 victory for Eddie Howe's side.
Arteta appeared shell-shocked in his post-match interview, and admitted the Magpies were 'ten times' better than the visitors on the night. Newcastle dominated the contest from start to finish, and the second straight loss means Arsenal must now beat relegation battlers Everton on the final day and hope Norwich City defeat Tottenham to snatch a top-four spot.
Piers Morgan wants Mikel Arteta to be fired after Newcastle loss - 'Utterly ridiculous' (Image: Getty)
In the wake of the defeat at Newcastle, Morgan tweeted: "Absolutely pathetic. Why the hell did we give Arteta a contract before the season even finished? This will be his 12th League loss of the season, after spending £250m in 2yrs. That would normally get an Arsenal manager the sack not a bloody new deal.
The talk show host then followed this post with a more decisive judgement, writing: "Arteta should be fired. Instead he’s been given a new deal and massive pay rise. For abject failure. Utterly ridiculous."
Morgan's long-time adversary and Tottenham fan Sir Alan Sugar could not resist joining in the conversation, and questioned why the Arsenal fan had not been calling for Arteta's exit sooner. The former Good Morning Britain host then admitted the Gunners should have moved for current Spurs boss Antonio Conte when they had the chance.
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Piers Morgan wants Mikel Arteta to be fired after Newcastle loss - 'Utterly ridiculous' (Image: Getty)
Morgan replied: "I’ve been calling him out all season. He’s not good enough to be Arsenal manager, we should have gone for Conte when we had the chance."
Granit Xhaka insists the Gunners did not handle the pressure on the night, and extraordinarily slammed any team-mates who were not ready to rise to the occasion by urging them to 'stay at home'. The defeat leaves the door open for Tottenham to book their place in next season's Champions League, with Arsenal squandering a six-point cushion over their local rivals with a game in hand since February.
Arteta was rewarded with a new three-year contract less than a fortnight ago, and Arsenal will have still improved on two successive eighth-placed Premier League finishes. However, Morgan has questioned what the Gunners boss has done to justify an extension, instead calling for a new man at the helm.
