First of all, I love Ian Wright. In terms of a player who truly loves the badge, he’s unrivalled.
When I hear him tell the story of sleeping round David Rocastle’s house, staying up and listening to tales about ‘the Arsenal’, it gives me goosebumps.
Yet he let himself down this week on social media, essentially suggesting that any real fan wouldn’t question the decision to award Eddie Nketiah 100,000 pound a week.
Ian Wright said on Instagram; “What’s a number? Why don’t you say nothing if you have nothing positive to say to our players? You can never call yourself an Arsenal fan with negativity of this nature? Would you say it to Eddie’s face?”
He did this a few years ago when a supporter on AFTV innocently expressed his opinion that Joe Willock would never be good enough to be a permanent fixture in our midfield. He publicly asked the host to dissuade this negativity as it wasn’t helpful to our academy graduates.
The pundit was proven wrong on that occasion.
It’s becoming a theme in the world, yet alone sport, where some people are so sensitive to points of views that don’t 100 percent match their own.
There are Gooners who simply won’t hear anything bad about their club.
Even after 2 consecutive 8th place finishes, even after 6 years out of the top 4, decades without a title, when we don’t have a world class player left …. if ever there was a period where it should be allowed to question the direction of the club surely it’s now?
Yet even in January, when we give our best striker away without a replacement, and are left with two forwards who score 6 goals between them, you’re not allowed to call that a terrible decision?
It’s not personal against Eddie the person.
It’s simply that he’s scored 10 League goals in 59 League games.
5 of those were in the space of three games.
100,000 pound is allot of money.
It’s not wrong for anyone to question should someone who scored in three Prem fixtures all season be on such a salary.
It doesn’t make you negative to ask if Arteta took so long to start him why he’s now on that wage.
It’s entirely acceptable after the promises were made when leaving Highbury, to say that in 2022 a club our size should be demanding better then what the 22 has shown so far.
It doesn’t make you any more of a fan by pretending Eddie is better than he is.
Ian Wright shares the same stance as me regarding the owners.
Yet he can’t on one hand demand the ‘Kroenke’s out‘, then question others just because their viewpoint doesn’t match yours.
Where was Wright’s energy when Mustafi and Bellerin were getting far worse abuse?
Why didn’t he confront those who called Giroud a lamp post?
When Xhaka released an interview saying how much criticism affected his mental health, Wright questioned the timing of it.
What’s worse, wishing your child cancer and your wife death, or simply saying Eddie is being overpaid?
The difference of course is every kit launch, look who Ian Wright models merchandise with.
British talent, because they are seen as more marketable as they are talents fans might relate to.
So of course, Ian Wright wants to celebrate the idea of an academy graduate wearing the iconic 14 shirt.
Of course, he wants as many as possible breaking through the youth team
Because he knows our marketing teams have already planned the advert that he will be the face of.
The reason Adidas pick him as that face is because of all the legends to wear the red and white, people believe he cares about the direction of the club.
That’s why his stance is so shocking.
When we built the Emirates, we were sold a dream.
We waited patiently as our best talents were sold, often to our rivals. That money was not reinvested.
We regressed from only finishing 4th, to a point where fans call 5th progress.
In other words, we have been patient and taken a lot as a fanbase
So, in a week where Man City buy Haaland and Liverpool Nunez, if Gooners want to say we deserve more than a striker who couldn’t start in the Championship. If Gooners want to say we were promised more …… then that’s okay
Be Kind In The Comments
Dan
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