These claims by Merson is as predictable fare, and he is naturally entitled to his opinion. This blog isn’t going to get involved in some spurious examination of the ex-Gooner’s mind processes.
What can be added to Merson’s imaginings though, is that his own club are currently a side experiencing close to zero feel good factor from the appointment of their latest manager, Mikel Arteta.
7 games in, and the 37-year-old has managed to win just one Arsenal game, a cold fact that cannot be spun into anything approaching a positive.
In fact, one might draw the conclusion that had the Arsenal owners had the foresight to appoint a coach with the calibre of José Mourinho (who Merson mocks) then the Gunners might not be in the mess that they are currently…
That said, it’s difficult to know what is more regrettable in all this. The fact that Paul Merson is still perceived as an influencer, or that the Evening Standard feels that their headline needed to be manipulated until it was wholly false, presumably in order to guarantee traffic.